DIGITAL HEAT-HEALTH EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS FOR OLDER ADULTS: CLINICAL EVIDENCE, HEALTH EQUITY, AND PUBLIC POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF PERSONALIZED CLIMATE-HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES

Vollständiger Abstract

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Extreme heat poses an increasingly serious threat to public health, particularly among older adults, for whom age-related impairment of thermoregulation, chronic diseases, polypharmacy, social isolation, energy poverty, and poor housing conditions increase the risk of heat-related morbidity and mortality. The aim of this review article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the evidence regarding digital early warning systems for heat-related effects in older adults, with particular emphasis on their clinical basis, potential for personalization, implementation limitations, the significance of health inequities, and implications for public health policy. The review indicates that traditional warning systems, based primarily on meteorological thresholds and population-wide alerts, can reduce mortality and morbidity but often fail to account for individual vulnerability, indoor temperatures, nighttime heat stress, risk perception, or the actual availability of protective measures. Digital solutions, such as home sensors, wearable technologies, predictive models, telephone systems, vulnerability maps, smart cities, and digital twins, can increase the precision of warnings and support protective behaviors. At the same time, their effectiveness depends on acceptability, ease of use, costs, data protection, internet access, and integration with health and social care services. Therefore, hybrid, equitable, and locally adapted systems that combine environmental, clinical, social, and behavioral data with clear response procedures hold the greatest potential.