Table 3 Categories and subcategory structures and their main contents

Effects of climate change on health

Direct and indirect effects of climate change on health

• The participants are experiencing an aggravation of their existing disease symptoms, apart from an increased occurrence of climate change-related disease

Groups vulnerable to climate change

• Patients with underlying diseases, the elderly, and children are vulnerable to climate change

• Climate change-related disease incidence and management of prior disease outbreak can differ according to socioeconomic level

The need for recognition of meteorological information utilization

Lack of interest in meteorological information utilization

• Insufficient interest in meteorological information utilization in the actual medical field

Meteorological information utilization is not the prime patient care issue

• Meteorological information utilization is not the prime issue in the patient care process

Need to use meteorological information in the patient care process

• Provision of meteorological information to patients in the patient care process will particularly boost rapport with patients

• It is necessary to obtain meteorological information in advance to prepare for patients’ questions

Plan for application of meteorological information utilization in the patient care process

The provision method of meteorological information

• Many healthcare providers believed that it would be more useful to offer meteorological information directly to patients, not through healthcare providers, but the general public participants preferred that meteorological information be delivered by healthcare providers such as physicians

Necessary improvement in the use of meteorological information in the patient care process

• To expand the utilization of meteorological information in the patient care process, meteorological information should be applied to fields and subjects expected to benefit most from the information

• Regarding healthcare providers’ participation in meteorological information utilization, evidence of the effects of meteorological information should be demonstrated, and a reformation of the medical system is required to improve the busy medical environment