Frostbite and hypothermia among individuals experiencing homelessness in the south interior region of BC
A chart review of emergency department presentations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20408718 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leanne Perrich (Interior Health Authority, Population and Public Health, British Columbia, Canada, corresponding author), Silvina C Mema (0000-0001-5895-9159, Interior Health Authority, Population and Public Health, British Columbia, Canada), Stephanie Laing (0000-0002-1407-5690, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus), John R Graham (0000-0002-5944-1498, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus), Matthew Gaudet (0000-0001-7445-2550, Data Analyst, Interior Health Authority, British Columbia, Canada), Leanne Cusack (Interior Health) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 27-34 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1053-0789 • E-ISSN: 1573-658X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10530789.2025.2463149 |
| OpenAlex | W4407698888 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
Experiencing homelessness is a risk factor for prolonged exposure to cold weather potentially resulting in cold-related conditions (frostbite and hypothermia). The British Columbia (BC) Interior Health (IH) region experienced unseasonably cold weather in the month of December 2022 leading to patchwork community efforts to mitigate harms to the increasing number of vulnerable individuals. The goal of this study is to quantify and review circumstances around emergency department (ED) presentations for cold-related conditions in the IH region during the unseasonably cold month of December 2022 with a specific focus on those experiencing homelessness. We conducted a chart review of patients with cold-related conditions that presented to IH EDs, 1–31 December 2022. There were 77 ED presentations for cold-related conditions to 21 IH EDs, 12 rural and 9 urban, in the study period, with 62 visits presenting as frostbite/cold injury and 15 as hypothermia. Individuals experiencing homelessness accounted for 39% (30/77) of the total presentations, but up to 56.3% (27/48) of urban ED presentations and 10.3% (3/29) of rural ED presentations. Our chart review confirms that individuals experiencing homelessness are at high risk of cold-related conditions particularly in urban communities in the IH region
Anesthesia · Chart · Emergency department · Frostbite · Hypothermia · Medical emergency · Psychiatry · Statistics · Burn Injury Management and Outcomes · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Disaster Response and Management · Medicine · Emergency Medicine · Surgery
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |