Can hospitals protect patients from extreme heat? Evidence from hospital-acquired dehydration

Henri Gruhl and Robin Kottmann

No 1227, Ruhr Economic Papers from RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen

Abstract: Is the healthcare system equipped to protect patients from extreme heat? Linking daily temperatures to administrative records covering 41.3 million German hospital admissions, we examine hospital-acquired dehydration among patients without dehydration at admission. Relative to stays at 15-20°C, exposure above 30°C increases dehydration by 0.63 percentage points (17%) and acute kidney failure, an objective dehydration-related outcome, by 0.08 percentage points (4.7%). Effects are concentrated among older patients and those with dementia. Our findings show that extreme heat not only increases demand for care, but also compromises patient protection within hospitals, highlighting the need for adaptation to prevent avoidable in-hospital deterioration.

Keywords: Healthcare quality; Climate change; Heat; Dehydration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I11 Q51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:rwirep:344215

DOI: 10.4419/96973412

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