Monitoring temperature variability inside a healthcare facility during an extreme heat event using low-cost sensors

Abstract

Climate change is causing more frequent extreme heat events (EHEs). Healthcare facilities serve individuals susceptible to adverse health outcomes from heat exposure. This study describes temperature variability inside and outside of an older inpatient healthcare facility in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada during an unprecedented EHE in 2021. Low-cost sensors were installed outside (N=2) and inside (N=7) of the large healthcare facility including on the roof, outside a second-floor window, in the basement, on the ground floor, and on the fourth (top) floor. Sensors measured temperature every minute during the 2021 EHE. These time series data were compared across sensors to assess temperature variability throughout the facility during the EHE. Outdoor temperatures at the facility reached 47.6 °C. Though the building has central air conditioning, indoor temperatures as high as 32.2 °C were recorded in a fourth-floor office. The maximum temperature in a patient room was 27.6 °C. Some ground-floor and basement areas experienced no elevated temperatures during the EHE. These findings demonstrate how temperatures may vary considerably across a single healthcare facility during periods of extreme heat. Our findings illustrate the benefits of actively monitoring temperatures throughout such facilities to understand heat exposure in different areas. We explore how this information can help healthcare providers make real-time decisions to protect patients and staff during EHEs.