Citation

Leonardi GS, Hajat S, Kovats RS, Smith GE, Cooper D, Gerard E. Soz. Praventivmed. 2006; 51(4): 194-201.

Affiliation

Poisons Division (Headquarters), Oxon, Great Britain.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17193781

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of high ambient temperatures, including the summer 2003 heat-episode, on NHS Direct usage and its suitability as a surveillance tool in heat health warning systems. METHODS: Analyses of data on calls to NHS Direct in English Regions in the period Dec 2001-May 2004. Outcomes were daily rates of all symptomatic calls, and daily proportion of calls for selected causes (fever, vomiting, difficulty breathing, heat/sun-stroke) RESULTS: Total calls were moderately increased as environmental temperature increased; this effect was greatest in calls for young children and for fever. Total calls were moderately elevated during two summer heat episodes in 2003: calls specifically for heat/sun stroke increased acutely in response to these episodes. No association was apparent between environmental temperature and proportion of calls for vomiting and difficulty breathing. CONCLUSIONS: Calls to NHS Direct are sensitive to daily temperatures and extreme weather. NHS Direct is timely and has great potential in health surveillance. Calls for heat- and sun-stroke are now routinely monitored as part of the UK Heat-wave plan.

Language: en