The nursing teams of Primary Care in the Southern Health Management Area of Seville have conducted 2,571 initial assessments of vulnerable individuals this summer, compared to 315 for the whole of 2025. The protocol against extreme heat, active since May, includes personalised follow-up and health education.
The Southern Health Management Area of Seville has intensified its prevention strategy against high temperatures this summer. At the halfway point of the campaign, the nursing teams of Primary Care have already conducted 2,571 initial assessments of vulnerable individuals, a figure that is eight times higher than the 315 recorded during the entire summer of 2025.
This action is part of the Andalusian Coordination Protocol against the Effects of Excessive Temperatures on Health 2026, promoted by the General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Management of the Ministry of Presidency, Health and Emergencies of the Junta de Andalucía. The protocol, active from May 16 to September 30, has allowed for heightened vigilance regarding the early onset and persistence of heatwaves.
The Southern Area of Seville, one of the largest geographically in Andalucía, has a target population of 74,900 users who are at greater risk during episodes of extreme heat. Among the priority groups are individuals over 65 years old, patients with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, children under four years old, people with severe mental disorders, those taking medication that hampers heat adaptation, and those who work or live exposed to the sun.
User identification is carried out through two channels: an active outreach aimed at locating individuals with risk factors, including those who participated in previous campaigns, and opportunistic identification during routine care in health centres. Additionally, recently discharged hospital patients are included, thanks to coordination between case management nurses and Primary Care teams.
The assessments are supported by a questionnaire that establishes each user's risk level based on their pathologies, treatments, family situation, and social support. Most individuals assessed have presented a low risk, but around a hundred have been identified with medium or high risk, which has required closer monitoring through telecontinuity and home visits.
The initiative involves various professional nursing profiles: health centre professionals, case management nurses, reference nurses from residential centres, and specialist nurses in Family and Community Care. Their work is complemented by health education actions directed at the public, such as outreach activities in summer schools, informational sessions in elderly residences, and meetings with caregivers and associations.
The Southern Health Management Area of Seville highlights the essential role of nursing in protecting the population against climate risk situations. This year's campaign reinforces preventive and care work in a summer marked by the early onset and persistence of high-temperature episodes, aiming to reduce the impact of heat on the health of the most vulnerable.
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