Effects of climate change on patients with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Effects of climate change on patients with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions

Eleanor Squires Senior adult nursing lecturer, School of Health and Social Work, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of the adverse effects of climate change on people’s health

  • To understand the ways climate change can aggravate asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease

  • To increase your awareness of your role in informing patients of the health implications of climate change

Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges and is already having detrimental effects on people’s health. Pollution levels and ambient temperatures continue to increase, resulting in higher levels of humidity and pollen production. These environmental threats can affect many vulnerable patients, particularly those with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, and nurses have a crucial role in raising awareness of the health implications of climate change. This article explores the pathophysiological effects of climate change on patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease, and aims to enhance nurses’ understanding of the health challenges of climate change.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12087

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

e.squires@herts.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Squires E (2023) Effects of climate change on patients with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12087

Published online: 01 June 2023

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more