Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review
Introduction: Climate change is a global public health emergency with implications for access to care and emergency care service disruptions. The African continent is particularly vulnerable to climate-related extreme weather events due to an already overburdened health system, lack of early warning...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-06-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211419X22000064 |
| _version_ | 1811303083004657664 |
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| author | Elzarie Theron Corey B Bills Emilie J Calvello Hynes Willem Stassen Caitlin Rublee |
| author_facet | Elzarie Theron Corey B Bills Emilie J Calvello Hynes Willem Stassen Caitlin Rublee |
| author_sort | Elzarie Theron |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Climate change is a global public health emergency with implications for access to care and emergency care service disruptions. The African continent is particularly vulnerable to climate-related extreme weather events due to an already overburdened health system, lack of early warning signs, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and variable adaptive capacity. Emergency care services are not only utilized during these events but also threatened by these hazards. Considering that the effects of climate change are expected to increase in intensity and prevalence, it is increasingly important for emergency care to prepare to respond to the changes in presentation and demand. The aim of this study was to perform a scoping review of the available literature on the relationship between climate change and emergency care on the African continent. Methods: A scoping review was completed using five databases: Pubmed, Web of Science, GreenFILE, Africa Wide Information, and Google Scholar. A ‘grey’ literature search was done to identify key reports and references from included articles. Two independent reviewers screened articles and a third reviewer decided conflicts. A total of 1,382 individual articles were initially screened with 17 meeting full text review. A total of six articles were included in the final analysis. Data from four countries were represented including Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Results: Analysis of the six articles yielded three key themes that were identified: climate-related health impacts that contribute to surges in demand and resource utilization, opportunities for health sector engagement, and solutions to improve emergency preparedness. Authors used the outcomes of the review to propose 10 recommendations for decision-makers and leaders. DXDiscussion: Incorporating these key recommendations at the local and national level could help improve preparedness and adaptation measures in highly vulnerable, populated areas on the African continent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:40:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7f1ea469e2574680958fdfd7155089a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-419X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:40:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-7f1ea469e2574680958fdfd7155089a32022-12-22T02:55:55ZengElsevierAfrican Journal of Emergency Medicine2211-419X2022-06-01122121128Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping reviewElzarie Theron0Corey B Bills1Emilie J Calvello Hynes2Willem Stassen3Caitlin Rublee4Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Corresponding author at:Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USADivision of Emergency Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USAIntroduction: Climate change is a global public health emergency with implications for access to care and emergency care service disruptions. The African continent is particularly vulnerable to climate-related extreme weather events due to an already overburdened health system, lack of early warning signs, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and variable adaptive capacity. Emergency care services are not only utilized during these events but also threatened by these hazards. Considering that the effects of climate change are expected to increase in intensity and prevalence, it is increasingly important for emergency care to prepare to respond to the changes in presentation and demand. The aim of this study was to perform a scoping review of the available literature on the relationship between climate change and emergency care on the African continent. Methods: A scoping review was completed using five databases: Pubmed, Web of Science, GreenFILE, Africa Wide Information, and Google Scholar. A ‘grey’ literature search was done to identify key reports and references from included articles. Two independent reviewers screened articles and a third reviewer decided conflicts. A total of 1,382 individual articles were initially screened with 17 meeting full text review. A total of six articles were included in the final analysis. Data from four countries were represented including Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Results: Analysis of the six articles yielded three key themes that were identified: climate-related health impacts that contribute to surges in demand and resource utilization, opportunities for health sector engagement, and solutions to improve emergency preparedness. Authors used the outcomes of the review to propose 10 recommendations for decision-makers and leaders. DXDiscussion: Incorporating these key recommendations at the local and national level could help improve preparedness and adaptation measures in highly vulnerable, populated areas on the African continent.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211419X22000064Climate changeDisaster preparednessClimate change adaptationClimate change resilienceEmergency medicine |
| spellingShingle | Elzarie Theron Corey B Bills Emilie J Calvello Hynes Willem Stassen Caitlin Rublee Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review African Journal of Emergency Medicine Climate change Disaster preparedness Climate change adaptation Climate change resilience Emergency medicine |
| title | Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review |
| title_full | Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review |
| title_short | Climate change and emergency care in Africa: A scoping review |
| title_sort | climate change and emergency care in africa a scoping review |
| topic | Climate change Disaster preparedness Climate change adaptation Climate change resilience Emergency medicine |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211419X22000064 |
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