Keywords:
Climate emergency, Social determinants of health, Housing, Disasters and extreme weather events, Indigenous health, Community controlled sector, Chronic conditions, Infectious diseases, Primary healthcare, Rural and remote health, Prevention, Health and medical research
Introduction:
Researchers are exploring the usefulness of an index to monitor primary care clinic presentations for infectious diseases associated with inadequate housing and living conditions in remote communities, and are calling for interested stakeholders to get involved.
Recent extreme weather events in the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland highlight the importance of their work in an era of increasing climate disruption, which is expected to affect both housing and infectious diseases risks.
“More strategic, collaborative use of primary care data has the potential to enhance the real-world impact of housing-health policy and research in rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” write the authors below.