Hot clinics health risk to patients and staff, say medical researchers

THE Medical Research Council has called on the Department of Health to make sure that clinic waiting rooms are not too hot, as this could constitute a serious health hazard.

Research conducted by the council in eight rural primary healthcare facilities in Limpopo revealed that indoor temperatures in waiting rooms were higher than those outside by 2°C to 4°C on average.

“The healthcare delivery environment inevitably becomes strenuous for all healthcare workers, and patients waiting for care are at risk of potential heat-related health symptoms,” the lead author and senior specialist scientist at the South African Medical Research Council’s Environment and Health Research Unit, Dr Caradee Wright, said.

“The situation may be compounded by increased temperatures considering that changes in infectious disease transmission patterns are a likely major consequence of climate change,” she said.

Wright called on all provincial health authorities to do a temperature audit in their waiting rooms.

“The National Core Standards for Health Establishments in South Africa stipulate that appropriate ventilation must be provided in theatres, patient accommodation and waiting areas.

“This stipulation has been left open to interpretation as appropriate ventilation is not clearly defined and as a result primary healthcare centres and clinics are characterised by varying resources and infrastructure,” she said, adding that the impact of hot waiting rooms was compounded by long waiting times.

“This is a recipe that exposes vulnerable groups to elevated temperatures and climate-related health threats.

“It is imperative that health authorities conduct clinic temperature assessments and implement client and staff-related strategies to reduce heat-related hazards or ill health associated with clinic visits,” she said.

“These actions must be coupled with a continued awareness by healthcare workers to monitor heat-related health symptoms, which include headaches and nausea, as well as heatstroke and cardiac arrest in extreme cases.”

Wright said older people and children were most at risk.