여름철 폭염 강도가 119 구급 수요에 미치는 영향 및 임계점 분석 충청남도 지역을 중심으로 = Analysis of the Impact and Threshold of Heatwave Intensity on 119 EMS Demand - A Case Study of Chungnam Province -

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As climate change accelerates, heatwaves pose a critical threat to public health and emergency medical services (EMS). However, previous studies have primarily focused on dry-bulb temperature, underestimating the health risks of hot and humid environments. This study examines the impact of heatwave intensity on 119 EMS demand in Chungnam Province and Daejeon, South Korea, using five years of summer data (2019-2023). The Heat Index (HI), which incorporates humidity, was employed as the primary exposure metric. Negative binomial regression, controlling for the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed that each 1°C increase in daily maximum HI significantly elevated EMS demand by 1.0% (p<0.001). LOESS analysis identified a non-linear threshold effect at 30°C—below the current heatwave advisory criterion of 33°C—with demand plateauing below this point but increasing sharply above it. These findings support transitioning to an HI-based response system and implementing surge capacity protocols, such as strategic ambulance redeployment, when HI exceeds 30°C, providing empirical evidence for region-specific EMS strategies in the climate crisis era.