Electronic health records are often extracted and combined with environmental data to conduct research or public health surveillance. However, to date, electronic health record systems do not integrate environmental data to aid real-time decision-making that could mitigate the health impacts of environmental hazards, including those related to climate change. Pursuing this goal requires enhancements to health record systems and modifications to the financial incentives driving health care innovation and delivery.
Keywords: climate change; digital health; electronic medical records; environmental health; social determinants of health.
© Zade Akras, Caleb Dresser, Henry Ashworth. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org).