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Operations & systems
US heat-related EMS encounters rising regionally
Trends and Regional Variation in Heat-Related EMS Encounters in the US
Prehospital Emergency Care · Added 27 July 2026
While national odds and proportions of heat-related prehospital encounters have risen slightly in 2023 compared to 2019, certain geographic regions have experienced far greater increases.
- Study type
- Cross-sectional
- Design
- Retrospective analysis of national EMS database (NEMSIS)
- Participants
- 478,666 heat-related and 120,181,275 non-heat-related encounters, 2019-2023
- Main finding
- Odds of heat-related encounters increased in 2023 vs 2019 (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03-1.05), with large regional variation (e.g. West South Central 2023 OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.51-1.57)
- Caveat
- US database study; coding of heat-related complaints may be inconsistent and findings may not generalise
- Bottom line
- Context only
Learning goal
Understand how rising heat-related demand and regional variation should shape my prehospital preparedness for heat illness.
More
- Topic: Operations & systems
- Daily scan: 27 July 2026
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