Hot Stuff: Exploring the Association Between Hot Days and Emergency Department Presentations Amongst Older Patients

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Climate change is causing more extreme temperature events, posing risks to older adults' health.
• Higher temperatures are linked to increased mortality and morbidity in the elderly population.
• Understanding the impact of heat on emergency department (ED) use among older adults is crucial for public health planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine weekly temporal trends in emergency department (ED) presentations.
• To investigate the association between hot temperatures and ED visits in individuals aged 65 years and older.
• To assess the impact of climate change on the health of the elderly population.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study was conducted using ED data from 2010 to 2021.
• Data included over 693,000 ED presentations from six healthcare institutions in South Western Sydney.
• Statistical analysis, including seasonal Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models, compared ED visits on hot days/nights versus non-hot days/nights, adjusting for temporal factors.

Main Results:

• The study analyzed 693,620 ED presentations for individuals aged 65 years and older.
• An inconsistent association was observed between hot days/nights and ED presentations across different sites.
• Significantly fewer presentations occurred on weekends/public holidays, with a notable increase on Mondays (p=0.003).

Conclusions:

• No direct association was found between heat and ED presentations in older adults, possibly due to regional variations.
• The broader health risks of climate change for the elderly remain unclear.
• Further investigation into factors influencing reduced weekend visits and Monday surges is recommended for targeted interventions.