Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Health Outcomes of Nursing Home Residents Receiving Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review.
Laila Gad, Olivia J Keenan, Jessica S Ancker and 4 others
PMID 39208871WHAT IT FOUND
Hurricane exposure significantly increased 90-day mortality for long-stay nursing home residents, with risk rising for those with severe cognitive impairment or chronic lung disease.
Power outages alone also raised short-term mortality odds. Evidence remains limited to hurricanes in the US South.
Key findings
01All included studies found significant associations between hurricane exposure and adjusted 90-day mortality in nursing home residents.
02Long-stay residents with severe cognitive impairment who were evacuated after Hurricane Gustav had a significant 3.9% increase in 90-day mortality compared to those who stayed.
03Power outages associated with Hurricane Irma significantly increased odds of 7-day and 30-day mortality.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The evidence base is narrow, with nine of ten studies focusing on hurricanes in the Southern US, limiting generalizability to other weather events or regions. Definitions of extreme weather exposure varied significantly across studies, including geographic area, evacuation status, and power outages, making direct comparison difficult. Most studies relied on retrospective data sets without matching techniques, which may introduce bias when comparing exposed and unexposed residents. Non-English papers were excluded, potentially missing relevant data from other countries. The review did not examine healthcare costs or long-term outcomes beyond 90 days.
Declared interests
Dr. Mau reports grant funding from Arnold Ventures and the National Institute on Aging, consulting fees from the American College of Physicians, and honoraria from two universities. Dr. Yang reports grant funding from the National Institute on Aging and honoraria from Chung-Ang University. The study itself was unfunded.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply to all extreme weather events or all nursing home residents. The evidence is almost exclusively from US hurricanes, and the increased mortality risk was specifically tied to long-stay residents and those with severe cognitive impairment or chronic lung disease. Post-acute care residents did not show the same significant mortality increase in all studies.