Impact of Ontario's Harmonized Heat Warning and Information System on emergency department visits for heat-related illness in Ontario, Canada: a population-based time series analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Intervention

Ontario's Harmonized Heat Warning and Information System (HWIS) brings harmonized, regional heat warnings and standard heat-health messaging to provincial public health units prior to periods of extreme heat.

Research question

Was implementation of the harmonized HWIS in May 2016 associated with a reduction in emergency department (ED) visits for heat-related illness in urban locations across Ontario, Canada?

Methods

We conducted a population-based interrupted time series analysis from April 30 to September 30, 2012-2018, using administrative health and outdoor temperature data. We used autoregressive integrated moving average models to examine whether ED rates changed following implementation of the harmonized HWIS, adjusted for maximum daily temperature

SUBMITTER: Clemens KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9481795 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature