Health Services Resilience to Extreme Weather Events: The Role of Healthcare Workers

The occurrence of Extreme Weather Events (EWE), resulting from climate change, has become increasingly frequent in the current scenario, as can be observed daily in the media and social networks, evidenced by natural disaster situations such as extreme drought, forest fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, and hurricanes, among others (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Given the catastrophic global threats caused by EWEs, high human, social, and economic risks are evident. Furthermore, the disasters resulting from these events have a significant impact on Health Services (HS). These services face the need for adaptation and rapid responses to the affected population, contending with limitations of human resources, damage to infrastructure, and unavailability of materials and supplies essential for their operation (Curtis, 2017; Schwerdtle, 2024). The adaptive capacity and resilience of Health Systems and Services are considered a phenomenon dependent on multiple strategies involving extraordinary organizational and individual efforts, highlighting the fundamental role of frontline health professionals in seeking solutions and response strategies (Forsgren, 2022; Chung, 2024). Health professionals are on the front lines responding to EWEs, dealing with pressures from increased urgent demands amidst a disruptive scenario, with restrictions on material resources and supplies for the provision of healthcare. Investing in continuous learning (Learning Health System - LHS) to strengthen leadership skills, decision-making, communication, and planning, among others, can enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of HS (Li et al., 2022; Ziapour, 2025). Maintaining the capacity of health systems to serve the population, especially in the face of extreme weather events, is complex. Developing this capacity can help mitigate lack of assistance during critical and necessary times, where immediate care is imperative, in addition to medium and long-term planning regarding healthcare. OBJECTIVE: To map literature related to the role of health professionals in the use of health service resilience strategies in the face of extreme weather events.