Health systems response to climate change adaptation: a scoping review of global evidence

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 2015 - 23
• Main Authors: Ansah, Edward Wilson, Amoadu, Mustapha, Obeng, Paul, Sarfo, Jacob Owusu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 29.07.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adaptation (Biology); At risk populations; Barriers; Carbon; Care and treatment; Climate adaptation; Climate Change; Climatic changes; Delivery of Health Care - organization & administration; Developing countries; Diagnosis; Emergency communications systems; Environmental aspects; Environmental risk; Food security; Genetic aspects; Global Health; Health aspects; Health care; Health care delivery; Health Policy; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Health services; Health systems resilience; Heat stress disorders; Humans; LDCs; Medical care; Medical personnel; Medical Subject Headings-MeSH; Poverty; Public health; Quality management; Review; Risk factors; Sanitation; Search engines; Well being; Ghana; Climate change; Health systems resilience; Review; Barriers; Adaptation
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19459-w

The health system plays a critical role in safeguarding the well-being of communities in the face of health risks associated with climate change. This review maps evidence on health systems' adaptation to climate risk and barriers to effective adaptation. This review followed the recommendations by Arksey and O'Malley for conducting scoping review. Search for records was conducted in PubMed, Central, Web of Science, JSTOR, Google, and Google Scholar. Only peer-reviewed papers published in English language were included in this review. All the 63 included studies were critically appraise d. We found that efforts are being made to create resilient health systems by incorporating climate change into health policies. Investments are being made in innovative technologies, climate-resilient health infrastructure, enhancing healthcare delivery, developing the capacity of climate specialists and agencies to provide high-quality evidence for resilient health systems. We also found that several obstacles prevent health system adaptation to climate risk, including poor policy implementation and evaluation. The obstacles are further exacerbated by financial constraints, including poverty, a lack of political commitment, inadequate data, and deficient healthcare systems, especially in developing countries. There is also a lack of integration of climate change into mental health actions and the health and safety of healthcare workers. Efforts to develop resilient health systems against climate risks are underway, but persistent obstacles, including inadequate policy implementation, resource limitations, and a lack of integration of climate change into critical health domains, hinder comprehensive adaptation measures, particularly in developing nations.