Understanding Weather and Hospital Admissions Patterns to Inform Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Healthcare Sector in Uganda

Katherine E. Bishop-Williams, Lea Berrang-Ford, Jan M. Sargeant, David L. Pearl, Shuaib Lwasa, Didacus Bambaiha Namanya, Victoria L. Edge, Ashlee Cunsolo, Research Team Ihacc, Bwindi Community Hospital, Yi Huang, James Ford, Patricia Garcia and Sherilee L. Harper
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Katherine E. Bishop-Williams: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Lea Berrang-Ford: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Jan M. Sargeant: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
David L. Pearl: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Shuaib Lwasa: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Didacus Bambaiha Namanya: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Victoria L. Edge: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Ashlee Cunsolo: Labrador Institute, Memorial University, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1E0, Canada
Research Team Ihacc: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Bwindi Community Hospital: Bwindi Community Hospital, Kanungu District 2JJ8+GP, Uganda
Yi Huang: Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
James Ford: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Patricia Garcia: Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team: Cesar Carcamo, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Sherilee L. Harper: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Background: Season and weather are associated with many health outcomes, which can influence hospital admission rates. We examined associations between hospital admissions (all diagnoses) and local meteorological parameters in Southwestern Uganda, with the aim of supporting hospital planning and preparedness in the context of climate change. Methods : Hospital admissions data and meteorological data were collected from Bwindi Community Hospital and a satellite database of weather conditions, respectively (2011 to 2014). Descriptive statistics were used to describe admission patterns. A mixed-effects Poisson regression model was fitted to investigate associations between hospital admissions and season, precipitation, and temperature. Results: Admission counts were highest for acute respiratory infections, malaria, and acute gastrointestinal illness, which are climate-sensitive diseases. Hospital admissions were 1.16 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.31; p = 0.008) times higher during extreme high temperatures (i.e., >95th percentile) on the day of admission. Hospital admissions association with season depended on year; admissions were higher in the dry season than the rainy season every year, except for 2014. Discussion : Effective adaptation strategy characteristics include being low-cost and quick and practical to implement at local scales. Herein, we illustrate how analyzing hospital data alongside meteorological parameters may inform climate-health planning in low-resource contexts.

Keywords: season; meteorological parameters; weather; temperature; precipitation; climate change; hospital admissions; hospital planning; climate change adaptation; Southwestern Uganda (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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