By Karli Kooi, BSN, RN
“As the summer heat only grows, it is essential for nurses to anticipate and recognize summer concerns for health.”
The Nurse & Summer: Hot and Fun in the Sun?!
By Karli Kooi, BSN, RN
1000 words – approximately a 10-minute read
As the seasons have shifted from the temperamental grays of spring to the growing heat of summer, us nurses begin to observe the effects in our communities. Washington summers are getting longer and hotter (WADOH) due to climate change. Studies show that worldwide, exposure to extreme heat is growing exponentially (WHO). Starting on June 21st this summer, unexpected heat waves across Europe began and the World Health Organization has attributed 1300 additional deaths to the soaring temperatures (BBC 2026). As the summer heat only grows, it is essential for nurses to anticipate and recognize summer concerns for health.
With rising temperatures, many public health departments are assisting communities with staying cool. One such example is the operation of “Cooling Centers”, air-conditioned locations where people can find a cooler indoors. Resources from the counties RONA serves can be found at the following webpages: Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Thurston County Public Health, Jefferson County Public Health, and Kitsap Public Health. Grays Harbor County Emergency Management appears to issue high heat warnings. No resources were found specific to summer or heat on Mason County webpages. Public health authorities generally share the same advice, summarized here: Seek shade, stay hydrated, and know the signs of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. To keep indoors cooler even without air conditioning, try covering windows, staying on lower floors, and reduce oven or stove usage. Check in on your neighbors and community, especially the young and elderly, and before and after nighttime. The night can be a sneaky time for heat to become unsafe: resources like cooling centers are generally not open then, and so non-cooled indoor environments can exhaust a person with limited options of other places to be. Discuss with your patients how they anticipate caring for themselves during the hot summer months while considering unique factors such as mobility, access to services, fluid restrictions, and other individualized influences.
Another significant element of summer is an increase in traumatic accidents and injuries: “Trauma Season”. It is both a perception among inpatient nurses and a statistical fact that with summer comes an increase in Emergency Department visits and traumatic admissions. A study examining pediatric trauma admissions found that “each degree increase in temperature increased the rate of trauma admissions by 4%” (PMC 2020). During the 2021 Pacific Northwest Heat Wave, a retrospective study on injury deaths in Washington state found an estimated total of 159 excess injury deaths … during the 3-week period (Am J Public Health 2023). Finally, increased heat exposure – temperatures in the 95th percentile – were strongly linked to “increased deaths from circulatory diseases as well as “external” causes of death associated with injuries and accidents, such as transport accidents, falls, and drowning.” (YSPH 2025). Discuss with patients what summer activities they enjoy, and focus on opportunities for both connection and personalized health promotion when they mention their pastimes. Do they enjoy swimming and boating? Promote safety tips for recreational water activities (WADOH) such as using floatation devices, avoiding any mind-altering substances such as alcohol or marijuana, and supervising all children and less strong swimmers. Avoid underestimating just how cold water can be or overestimating the safe depth of a body of water. Drowning is the second highest cause of death for ages 1-17 in Washington State (WADOH 2016). Hiking, biking, sporting, playing outside? Encourage having a safety plan, wearing appropriate gear, knowing your surroundings, and doing it with others. You can learn more at resources like Safety Essentials: A ToolKit for Hikers (WTA), Playground Safety During Warm Weather (WADOH 2026), and Summer Safety from the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC). Accidents and injuries can occur to even the most experienced, safest, and prepared people – but it is surely less likely for those who try their best!
With the summer sunshine, more people are basking in the sunny outdoors. Be on the lookout for an increase in sunburns for all ages and backgrounds! Unprotected sun exposure can not only obviously cause redness and pain, but can affect the body deeper than what can be seen and felt through damaging skin cells and increasing the risk of skin cancers. It is essential to make wise choices when basking in the sun, and focus on consistent sunscreen use, protective layers, and staying shaded when UV rays are the highest. It is also critical to remember that unprotected sun exposure can affect skin of all shades. In fact, research shows patients with darker skin tones are more likely to perceive less importance to sunscreen, while also having worse melanoma [skin cancer] clinical outcomes (CJMS 2023). Everyone should be practicing sun exposure safety! Learn more about Sunscreens and Sun Safety from the Washington State Department of Health.
Now, health in the summer season is not all stressful. Lots of friends and family may also get together outdoors for different celebrations! With any outdoor events, it is important to consider food safety when eating in hotter weather. The temperature of the potluck pasta dish that sits out in the park shelter at your nephew’s birthday party can quickly rise and stay in the ‘danger zone’ temperature of 40 degrees fahrenheit (4degrees C) – 140 degrees fahrenheit (40 degrees C) (USDA 2023). It would spoil the fun to eat something spoiled! From the Washington State Department of Health, you can learn more about Food Safety Tips and specifically, tips for Barbecue and Picnic Food Safety (WADOH). And as always, practice hand hygiene when preparing and enjoying food by washing your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer and rubbing until dry (CDC 2024).
Finally, while the busy summer time may distract from some routine care, it is still vital to continue focusing on general safe and healthy behaviors. While it isn’t ‘flu season’, there are still plenty of opportunities for health promotion following recommended health practices around vaccination (WADOH), including for vaccines like Tdap, Hepatitis B, and more! Summer will eventually end, and with it, September and the school and flu season will arrive before we know it.