China's capacity of hospitals to deal with infectious diseases in the context of climate change

Michael Xiaoliang Tong; Alana Hansen; Scott Hanson-Easey; Jianjun Xiang; Scott Cameron; Qiyong Liu; Xiaobo Liu; Yehuan Sun; Philip Weinstein; Gil-Soo Han; Peng Bi

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.04.021

China's capacity of hospitals to deal with infectious diseases in the context of climate change

Soc Sci Med. 2018 Jun:206:60-66. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.04.021. Epub 2018 Apr 16.

Authors

Michael Xiaoliang Tong¹, Alana Hansen², Scott Hanson-Easey³, Jianjun Xiang⁴, Scott Cameron⁵, Qiyong Liu⁶, Xiaobo Liu⁷, Yehuan Sun⁸, Philip Weinstein⁹, Gil-Soo Han¹⁰, Peng Bi¹¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: michael.tong@adelaide.edu.au.
² School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: alana.hansen@adelaide.edu.au.
³ School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: scott.hanson-easey@adelaide.edu.au.
⁴ School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: jianjun.xiang@adelaide.edu.au.
⁵ School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: scott.cameron@adelaide.edu.au.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China. Electronic address: liuqiyong@icdc.cn.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China. Electronic address: liuxiaobo@icdc.cn.
⁸ Department of Epidemiology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, China. Electronic address: sun611007@163.com.
⁹ School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: philip.weinstein@adelaide.edu.au.
¹⁰ Communications & Media Studies, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia. Electronic address: gil-soo.han@monash.edu.
¹¹ School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia. Electronic address: peng.bi@adelaide.edu.au.

Abstract

Objectives: Infectious diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in China. The capacity of hospitals to deal with the challenge from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases due to climate change is of great importance to population health. This study aimed to explore the capacity of hospitals in China to deal with such challenges.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was utilized to gauge information regarding capacity of hospitals to deal with infectious diseases in the context of climate change among 611 clinical professionals whose roles pertained to infectious disease diagnosis, treatment and management in Anhui Province of China. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression analysis were performed on the data.

Results: More than 90% of participants believed climate change would have an adverse influence on population health and infectious disease control in China. Most indicated that their hospitals were well prepared for emerging infectious diseases at present, and they considered that logistical support in hospitals (e.g. administrative and maintenance services) should be strengthened for future capacity building. The majority of participants suggested that effective prevention and control measures, more interdisciplinary collaborations, more funding in rural areas for health care, and improved access to facilities enabling online reporting of infectious diseases, were extremely important strategies in building capacity to curb the population health impact of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases due to climate change in China.

Conclusions: Clinical professionals recognized that climate change will likely increase the transmission of infectious diseases. Although rural health care and hospitals' logistical support need to be improved, most professionals believed their hospitals to be capable of dealing with emerging diseases. They thought that interdisciplinary and cross-regional collaborations, together with necessary resource support (e.g. improved facilities for rural health care) would be important control strategies.

Keywords: China; Climate change; Clinical professionals; Hospital capacity; Infectious diseases.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel*
Capacity Building
China
Climate Change*
Communicable Diseases / therapy*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Care Surveys
Hospital Administration*
Humans
Male
Personnel, Hospital / psychology*
Personnel, Hospital / statistics & numerical data
Young Adult