Responding to heatwave intensity: Excess Heat Factor is a superior predictor of health service utilisation and a trigger for heatwave plans.

CONCLUSIONS: The EHF formula, which considers a period of acclimatisation as well as the maximum and minimum temperature, best predicted periods of greatest health service demand. The strength of the dose-response relationship reinforces the validity of the measure as a predictor of hazardous heatwave intensity. IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that the EHF formula is well suited for use as a means of activating heatwave plans and identifies the required level of response to extreme heatwave events as well as moderate heatwave events that produce excess health service demand. PMID: 26260877 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Aust N Z J Public Health Source Type: research