Hamburg, June 14, 2023 – Today is the first nationwide heat action day. In view of climate change, it is to be expected that heat waves with high temperatures will occur more frequently and become more intense in the future. Therefore, in its current ad hoc survey from the “In Focus” series, the Health Foundation has highlighted which heat protection measures doctors implement in their practices and what they advise their patients to do during heat waves.
Heat protection: Six out of ten doctors rely on structural measures
Shading or air conditioning: The majority of doctors opt for structural measures for heat protection (58.3 percent). More than a quarter of the responders also adjust practice procedures during heat waves and, for example, shift office hours to the morning and evening hours (29.3 percent). And also more than a quarter of the doctors advise patients specifically on how to deal with heat waves (27.3 percent).
Information materials for patients and training courses only rarely used
On the other hand, doctors rarely offer information material on the topic of heat: 5.9 percent of them stated that they use flyers or posters or provide corresponding information for patients on their practice website. So far, only 3.3 percent of those surveyed have taken part in training courses on the topic of heat.
Tips for patients: Doctors consider this to be useful in the heat
Protect your head from the sun, avoid the midday heat and adapt everyday life to the heat wave: these are the three top tips for patients. More than 90 percent of doctors consider these measures useful, as well as light, loose and breathable clothing made of cotton or linen. 85.8 percent of doctors also recommend their patients to drink more than usual, provided there are no health reasons against it.
83.0 percent of the doctors also advise considering the heat tolerance of medicines. Because high temperatures can change the effect of some medicines or cause unwanted side effects. Blood pressure medication in particular often has to be dosed lower in summer.
About the In Focus Series
With the ad hoc surveys from the “In Focus” series, the Health Foundation has been highlighting a topic that is currently affecting doctors in outpatient care every quarter since the beginning of 2022. 825 doctors took part in the representative survey in June 2023. The response rate was 7.0 percent.
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