Health and climate change-what is the potential of real-world data?

• Published in: Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz Vol. 67; no. 2; pp. 155 - 163
• Main Authors: Günster, Christian, Schmuker, Caroline
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01-02-2024
• Subjects: Air Pollution - adverse effects; Allergens; Climate Change; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Germany; Germany; Routine data; Vulnerable population; Morbidity; Public health; Health services research
• ISSN: 1437-1588
• DOI: 10.1007/s00103-023-03828-8

This article addresses the question of how climate change may affect health and to what extent real-world data can contribute to research in this topic area. Climate change is altering the environmental and living conditions of humankind, and has thus also become a relevant health problem. The increase in extreme weather events, changes in exposure to UV and air pollution, and the climate-associated spread of allergens or novel pathogens are significantly changing the spectrum of diseases and the need for medical care in the population. However, in Germany, only few findings on the consequences for the healthcare system and on particularly affected population groups exist so far. Real-world data (primary data, register data, and administrative data) in combination with environmental exposure data and other relevant data (e.g., socio-economic data) have the potential to significantly advance research on the health consequences of climate change. This paper identifies changes in environmental and living conditions and associated health risks. It describes the databases that are generally available for analysing health effects of climate change. A concrete example is used to show how individual health data (in this case claims data of the statutory health insurance), environmental exposure data and other data can be successfully combined. Finally, the article offers a comprehensive overview of open research questions that can be answered with real-world data.