Extreme weather events: A practical guide for clinicians

AI Summary

This clinical guide outlines how clinicians can prepare for and respond to extreme weather, including wildfire, by assessing patient vulnerabilities and planning for emergencies. It emphasizes continuity of care, prioritizing essential treatments such as insulin, dialysis, and oxygen, and supporting patients and staff after disasters.

What you need to knowAssess your patient’s exposure to weather related hazards and risk factors that make them vulnerableWith your patient, create an emergency plan and kit, review essential drugs and devices, and adjust them as needed for anticipated hazardsDuring a disaster, try to maintain continuity of care while monitoring hazard specific warning systems, considering your own safety and that of your family and staffAs a priority, manage high acuity patients and ensure access to essential treatments such as insulin, dialysis, and oxygenAfter a disaster, ensure the physical and psychological safety of yourself, staff, and the health infrastructure before returning to work. Ask patients about missed doses of drugs, missed appointments, and mental health impactsYou are a family doctor working in a clinic in a remote part of the Canadian subarctic region during the most severe wildfire season on record. The nearest safe town is a seven hour drive away....