Healthcare in a Changing Climate 2025

As life sciences innovators make efforts to develop, manufacture and deliver a new portfolio of climate- driven health treatments, other public and private health partners can take steps to ensure these efforts reach their target population by addressing health equity problems, diversifying supply chains and bolstering health services and infrastructure. Climate change introduces novel vulnerabilities to health systems and public health efforts that need to be addressed proactively. One in 12 hospitals worldwide – 16,245 facilities – may be forced to close119 due to extreme weather events by the end of the century. Health system resistance can be supported by life sciences prevention, diagnostics and innovative climate services Climate-resilient infrastructure120 — such as hospitals with heat regulation systems and storm- resistant designs — will be important for maintaining safe environments for patients and clinicians. A climate health impact resilience framework can help hospitals, clinics, the life sciences industry and the public sector map how to coordinate efforts to resist and recover from climate crises. The resilience framework comprises two phases (see Figure 6): –Health system resistance – comprising avoidance (mitigation) and containment (adaptation). –Health system recovery – comprising stabilization (first response) and return to health (treatment). In addition to resilient infrastructure, fostering community-health efforts121 through initiatives focused on patient education and preventive care (particularly in chronic disease management)122 is important for reducing strain on the healthcare system so there is capacity during and after climate events. These steps would also create a healthier population that is less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Expanding home care and outpatient services would allow patients to manage care outside a hospital setting, further easing pressure on resources. Finally, approaches to enable appropriate physician adoption of emerging life sciences innovation, such as collecting and incorporating123 physician feedback, could improve prevention and diagnostic efforts. Critically, life sciences innovation can contribute to the resistance of health systems through the novel prevention approaches, diagnostics and tech and climate services detailed in Chapter 2 of this report.3.4 Life sciences innovation for health systems resilience and equity One in 12 hospitals worldwide – 16,245 facilities – may be forced to close due to extreme weather events by the end of the century. Climate health impact resilience framework FIGURE 6 Health system resistance capability Avoidance (mitigation)Containment (adaptation)Health system recovery capability Stabilization (first response)Return to health (treatment) Retu rn to stead y-state population health , e.g.TimeClimate even t Monitor for continuo us treatment o f diseases—Stabilize and m inimize impact for affected population, e.g. Emerge ncy treatment to reduce risk of long-ter m health conseque nces and mortality—Reduce health impac t and minimize time before start o f the Reco very phase, e.g. Anticip ate and monito r health impact— —Prepare health care services for the h ealth impactEvade or delay a health impact or climate event entirely, e.g. Elimin ate root cause of the climate event— —Elimin ate health impact once climate event occursRelative population health1RationaleWhen pr esented on a time scale, a r esilience framework helps to identify and map solutions for avoidance, containment, stabilization and r eturn to health 1. Vs. steady state without climate event Source: World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyman analysis Healthcare in a Changing Climate: Investing in Resilient Solutions 28