Menzies is examining ways to combat a ‘silent killer’ in remote Australia with $480,000 from the Commonwealth’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
The 2-year project examining the impact of extreme temperature on the delivery of primary healthcare services in remote Central Australia is now underway.
Menzies hopes the study will better inform the development of strategies to manage the effects of extreme heat.
Remote communities serviced by Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics are generally run by resident nurses and Indigenous Health Practitioners. These staff are the first point of contact when a remote resident is affected by extreme heat exposure.
Anecdotally, the majority of cases involve patients treated at their local clinic, before being sent home to rest. Some patients may require a medical consultation and possibly medical retrieval to Alice Springs or Tennant Creek Hospital due to the health impacts of extreme heat.
Menzies Professor of Remote and Rural Health Services Research Professor John Wakerman said little is actually known about the impact of extreme temperatures on healthcare-seeking behaviour at the first point of contact in remote communities.
“We know that early intervention is the best approach to minimise the health effects of extreme temperature, but we know very little about the impact of extreme temperature on Primary Health Care service utilisation in remote Aboriginal communities in Central Australia. This project will help address this gap in knowledge,” Prof Wakerman said.
Hot weather, often called a ‘silent killer’, has led to more Australian deaths than all other extreme weather events combined, including bushfires, floods and cyclones.
Alice Springs currently experiences more than 100 days per year with temperatures greater than 35°C. Climate projections indicate more frequent and intense warm spells into the future.
The Leader of Menzies climate change research program is Senior Research Fellow Dr Supriya Mathew. Dr Mathew said there is an increasing urgency for PHC clinics in remote communities in Australia to work with locals to implement adaptation strategies mitigating heat-related health risks.
“One of the first steps towards adaptation is to ensure that there is an adequate evidence base that is specific to the remote Central Australian context that can be used to develop a heat-health alert system,” Dr Mathew said.
The project will be conducted in partnership with Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and NT Department of Health.
For more information about the project and to keep up to date, head to: Examining the effects of extreme heat on health service delivery in remote Australia