Climate-informed clinical encounters have the potential to enhance pediatric care in a variety of ways, according to Aaron Bernstein, MD, of Boston Children's Hospital.
"Each primary care visit offers opportunities to screen for and support children burdened with risks to health that are increasingly intense due to climate change," Rebecca P. Philipsborn, MD, of Emory University, Atlanta, and colleagues wrote in "A pediatrician's guide to climate change–informed primary care," on which Bernstein served as corresponding author (Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2021 June. doi: 10.1016/j.cppeds.2021.101027).
In a presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, Bernstein highlighted five components of climate-informed pediatric care mentioned in the article: climate-informed screening, health promotion that includes health and climate benefits, care management that anticipates climate risks for at-risk children, climate-informed anticipatory guidance, and engagement with community resources and advocacy.
Pediatricians can incorporate climate-related issues into screening protocols by asking patients about their home environment, Bernstein said. Potential questions to ask include whether the family has air conditioning in the home, and whether they are concerned about being able to pay the bill if they use air conditioning, he said.
Health promotion discussions during clinical encounters can emphasize that eating more fruits and vegetables not only is good for the health of the child and the whole family, but "also is good for the planet we live on," he said.
