Heat Emergency Awareness and Treatment (HEAT) (HEAT)
Heat Illness, Heat Stroke, Heat Exhaustion
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Heat Illness focused on measuring Heat-related illnesses, Heat Illnesses, Community based interventions, heatwave, Pakistan, emergency preparedness, emergency medicine, heat stroke, heat exhaustion, urban health
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients presenting to the emergency departments in Karachi who present with suspected heat stroke/heat exhaustion and basic information about their presentation and treatment will be obtained in the ED for May-July.
- Community households in "Korangi District"
- Physicians/Nurses working in the emergency department of study hospital sites
Exclusion Criteria:
- When a family refused to participate in the study
Sites / Locations
- Aga Khan University
- The Aman Foundation
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Experimental
Intervention Community Clusters
Control Community Clusters
For the community-based arm of the study, 16 clusters will be randomized into intervention and control groups. Those in the intervention group will receive implementation of community-based Home Heat Bundle. This Bundle includes education from community health workers on the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness, how to prevent the illness, and when to seek treatment. In addition, the intervention group will receive SMS messaging with information about heatwaves. The education and Short Message Service (SMS) messaging will occur in March and April via meetings in households and in public spaces. There will be a total of 40 activities, each lasting approximately two hours.
Eight community clusters of 1000 population each where regular community-based healthcare services will be provided without focused interventions on identification and management of heat-related illnesses. These clusters will receive regular community healthcare provision.