Exploring the Novel Concept of Integrating Health Records and Environmental Data to Improve Care for Displaced Populations: A Commentary.

Displaced populations face increased risk from climate change and environmental exposures. Yet, electronic health records (EHRs) rarely include environmental data like temperature extremes, air pollution, or water contamination – despite these being critical determinants of health in vulnerable communities. In this article, we outline the concept of why and how the creation of a Health and Environmental Record System (HERS) that integrates real-time environmental data into EHR systems could enhance clinical decision-making and resource allocation for displaced populations in low-resource settings. We believe that combining environmental inputs with health risk indexes can guide targeted, proactive interventions at both patient and population levels. We explore the feasibility of creating HERS, identify potential data sources, present a framework for system design and application, and describe a theoretical use case. We argue that implementing such an integrated EHR system offers a promising path toward climate-informed care and more equitable health outcomes for displaced populations.