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Published on: November 21, 2017
Heat-Related Emergency Medical Services Activations in the United States, 2020-2024: Rates, Demographics, and
Shubhayu Saha1, Lauren Jensen1, Cody S Olsen1
1Shubhayu Saha is with Tracking California, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA. John Balbus is Principal at Climate Care Consulting, Washington DC. During the formative part of the article, Lauren Jensen and Arsenio Mataka were with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC. Cody S. Olsen, Casey Gregor, and Benjamin Fisher are with the Utah Data Coordinating Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. N. Clay Mann is with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.
Heat-related emergency medical services (EMS) activations are more common in older adults, males, and certain racial/ethnic groups, particularly in rural areas with poor socioeconomic conditions. Data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) helps monitor these heat exposure illnesses.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Environmental Health
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Heat exposure illness poses a significant public health threat, necessitating better monitoring of emergency medical services (EMS) activations.
- Understanding demographic and geographic risk factors is crucial for targeted public health interventions during heat waves.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the incidence of heat-related EMS activations across the U.S.
- To identify key demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with increased risk of heat exposure illness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) database for heat-related EMS activations from April to September, 2020-2024.
- Integrated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) with EMS data at the county level.
- Analyzed heat-related illness trends based on patient demographics, geographic location, and EMS system characteristics.
Main Results:
- Identified 261,687 heat-related EMS activations (0.3% of total) from over 79 million EMS activations.
- Observed higher activation rates among older adults, males, African Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.
- Found increased rates in rural counties and areas with higher social vulnerability scores, with events often occurring indoors during the afternoon.
Conclusions:
- The NEMSIS database offers valuable insights for monitoring heat-related adverse health outcomes.
- Timely data collection and sharing are essential for public health situational awareness and response during heat waves.
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