A digital heat early warning system for older adults.
case_series · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39972034.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-025-01505-5 and PMC identifier 11840092.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Extreme heat events lead to considerable health burden and are becoming more severe and frequent, calling for the development of effective population-based and individualised heat early warning systems. We developed an individualised heat early warning system and tested it in 78 older adults' ( ≥ 65 years) homes in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Quantitative and qualitative data from this proof-of-concept testing study showed that the Ethos system performed well on a standard usability scale (mean score of 78 on the System Usability Scale). Following a summer-time use of this early warning system, there were increases in heat preparedness (P < 0.001, marginal homogeneity tests) but no significant increases in heat health risk perception or the uptake of low-cost cooling measures (e.g., hand/forearm bath, fans). This proof-of-concept research demonstrated the usability of this tailored, actionable, real-time digital heat early warning system, although the effectiveness of the system remains to be evaluated in a robust trial design.