Rapid response to heat waves: Using electronic health records to protect patients in near-real time
As summer heat waves grow longer and more dangerous, public health officials often must wait months to learn who and how many people were harmed. A new study published in Nature Health suggests that delays are no longer necessary, offering the opportunity to assess whose health is most at risk, take protective measures and test whether interventions are working while the heat season is still…
This groundbreaking study published in Nature Health showcases a rapid response system utilizing electronic health records (EHR) to safeguard patients during heat waves. Researchers from Harvard Chan C-CHANGE, Boston University School of Public Health, and Truveta analyzed 8.1 million ED visits from 2023-2025 in 19 eastern U.S. states, linking daily maximum temperatures to ED visit counts for all causes, heat-related illnesses, kidney diseases, and psychiatric conditions.
The study revealed that extreme temperatures accounted for 9% of all-cause visits and nearly 30% of kidney disease visits during the June and August 2025 heat waves, resulting in 13,337 excess emergency department visits. Lead author Amruta Nori-Sarma emphasizes that this near-real-time EHR data can turn into actionable intelligence during ongoing climate events, enabling health systems to respond preemptively by increasing outreach, ensuring dialysis access, and staff up before traditional data sources become available.
The findings underscore the critical need for timely population health surveillance and intervention strategies in the face of increasingly severe extreme heat events.
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