Empowering Primary Care Providers to Safeguard Vulnerable Populations Against Extreme Heat
About the Heat Smart Initiative and the Canadian Primary Care Information Network (CPIN)
The Heat Smart project is a 3-year initiative that has recently been awarded funding from Health Canada as part of their HeatADAPT program.
Climate change poses significant health risks, with extreme heat events becoming increasingly frequent and severe. Vulnerable populations—including older adults, young children, people with chronic illnesses, individuals experiencing poverty or social isolation, and those taking medications that affect heat regulation—are disproportionately affected.
The Heat Smart initiative will integrate primary care with public health-led Heat Alert and Response Systems (HARS) to protect at-risk groups. The project is being led by the Canadian Primary Care Information Network (CPIN). CPIN has created an innovative digital platform that automates health promotion, patient engagement, and data collection, and is a trusted tool for primary care providers (PCP) to deliver tailored health messages efficiently. Developed by family physicians and researchers at the University of Ottawa and the Institut du Savoir Montfort, CPIN helps PCPs effortlessly engage with, educate, and learn more about their patient populations, their health needs and their experience of care. It is being used by primary care providers and in several major initiatives and studies across Canada.
Why The Heat Smart Study Matters
Extreme heat events are among the deadliest climate-related health threats in Canada, as evidenced by the 2021 heatwave that claimed over 600 lives in Western Canada. Most heat-related deaths occur indoors and are preventable with timely interventions.
Primary care providers, who serve 88% of Canadians, are uniquely positioned to identify and support at-risk individuals. By aligning with HARS, Heat Smart aims to bridge the gap between primary care and public health, enhancing community resilience before, during, and after heat events.
Why participate?
- Receive a $3,000 stipend per participating physician.
- Minimal time commitment- the study has been purposefully designed to be low-burden for busy clinicians.
- Contribute to an innovative public health initiative that could directly benefit your patients and your practice.
Study Goals and Objectives
The Heat Smart project has been designed to be low-burden for participating PCPs. It aims to:
- Assess individual-level risks for excessive heat-related illnesses among primary care patients.
- Implement and evaluate an automated digital messaging intervention for patients to improve preparedness and reduce the health impacts of extreme heat events.
The study will answer the following research question: Do patients who receive tailored digital health promotion messages from their primary care providers perform more heat-adaptive proactive behaviours to protect themselves from heat-related illness compared to those who do not receive such messages?
How the Study Works
Heat Smart will employ a randomized controlled trial design across multiple public health districts, starting in Eastern Ontario. Key activities include:
- Risk Assessment: Data from electronic medical records and patient surveys will be used to identify at-risk individuals and segment them into subpopulations based on socio-cultural and clinical characteristics.
- Tailored Messaging: Evidence-based, personalized digital messages will be delivered via email or text to inform patients about heat risks and guide them in creating heat alert safety plans. In addition to providing actionable advice on measures that patients can take to protect themselves, messages may include information on local cooling stations, transportation options, and other available resources in their area. All messages will be available in English and French.
- Early Warning Alerts: At-risk patients will be notified of impending heat events and encouraged to activate their plans.
- Evaluation: Researchers will measure outcomes through patient surveys and link responses with health administrative databases to assess the intervention’s effectiveness in reducing heat-related health impacts.
Expected Outcomes
Short-term outcomes include increased awareness among patients about heat-related health risks and preparedness strategies. Long-term goals involve scaling the intervention across Canada to reduce heat-related illnesses, enhance social connectedness, and decrease healthcare utilization.
Partnering for Success
Heat Smart engages PCPs, public health units, and community stakeholders to ensure meaningful and sustainable impacts. By integrating with existing HARS infrastructure, the project fosters a whole-of-society approach to climate resilience. Potential partners will benefit from the project’s insights, tools, and scalable model, which can be adapted to other extreme weather events.
Join Us!
The Heat Smart project invites primary care providers to collaborate in promoting climate adaptation. Your participation in this low-burden study is important. Together, we can protect vulnerable populations from the growing threat of extreme heat and build healthier, more resilient communities.
If you are interested in participating or would like further information about the Heat Smart project, please contact us at info@cpin-rcip.com or contact Dr. William Hogg, principal investigator, at whogg@uOttawa.ca . We would be happy to schedule a meeting to discuss it further. For questions concerning ethical aspects of this research, contact the Montfort Hospital Research Ethics Board at 613-746-4621, ext. 2221, or by email at ethique@montfort.on.ca