How heat and cold affect inpatient emergency careStudy on Effects of extreme temperature on morbidity, mortality, and case severity in German emergency care

5 February 2025

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Extreme temperatures lead to more emergencies, according to an analysis of inpatient hospital data from 2010 to 2019: compared to days with moderate temperatures, around 20,550 more people were admitted to hospital as emergencies on the hottest 5% of days per year. The mortality rate of emergency hospital admissions was also higher. As a result of extreme heat, around 1,050 people died in hospital as emergencies each year, and around 2,150 people died as a result of extreme cold. "Our research results show that extreme temperatures are detrimental to health and cause considerable costs in the healthcare system. Based on these results, we are currently developing a tool that can identify particularly vulnerable groups such as the chronically ill, the elderly, children and pregnant women depending on the weather conditions, warn them specifically and recommend suitable measures," says Research Manager and HCHE member Dr. Claudia Konnopka from Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

You can find the complete study here: Effects of Extreme Temperature on Morbidity, Mortality, and Case Severity in German Emergency Care