Number of medical consultations at Australian Antarctic stations

Information was obtained from the ANARE Health Register. See Metadata record entitled ANARE Health Register. INDICATOR DEFINITION The rates of illness and injury per 1000 person years in all continental Antarctic stations and Macquarie Island. TYPE OF INDICATOR There are three types of indicators used in this report: 1.Describes the CONDITION of important elements of a system; 2.Show the extent of the major PRESSURES exerted on a system; 3.Determine RESPONSES to either condition or changes in the condition of a system. This indicator is one of: CONDITION RATIONALE FOR INDICATOR SELECTION Human health can be an indicator of the natural and man-made environment. Some of the factors affecting human health can be directly related to the quality of the environment. Monitoring the rate of medical consultations in Antarctica can provide useful baseline information on illness and injury rates, and potentially provide insight into health trends due to Antarctic conditions. In Antarctica the man-made environment is of particular importance due to the highly adverse nature of the natural environment and as a surrogate for the isolation of outer space. Without dwellings and support structures human habitation of Antarctica would be impossible. The interaction between people and the natural environment is also worthy of attention. The rate of various injuries and illnesses can be attributed, at least in part, to the severe conditions present in the Antarctic. Antarctica also provides useful data on the effects of isolated and confined environments (ICE) on human health. There are some straightforward examples of direct relationships between environmental factors and human health. However, multiple causation and the complexity of mediating processes mean that it is typically difficult to relate specific 'environmental' inputs to particular health outcomes. DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR INDICATOR MONITORING PROGRAM Spatial scale: Australian Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations Frequency: Monthly figures reported annually Measurement Technique: Time series information to determine trends in medical consultations. Information was obtained from the ANARE Health Register. See Metadata record entitled ANARE Health Register. RESEARCH ISSUES Due to the unique nature of the environment and the expeditioners residing in Antarctica, comparison with similar groups elsewhere would be valuable. The database has reached sufficient size to justify closer analysis of data that may discern trends in health and provide a better picture of the effects of the Antarctic environment. Trends may not be obvious and may have a considerable impact on human activities in the Antarctic. Does the presence of people and potential pathogens influence the rate of disease among populations of Antarctic wildlife? LINKS TO OTHER INDICATORS SOE Indicator 47 - Number and nature of incidents resulting in environmental impact SOE Indicator 48 - Station and ship person days本数据集信息取自ANARE健康登记系统，详见标题为《ANARE健康登记系统》的元数据记录。 指标定义 所有南极大陆科考站及麦夸里岛的每千人年疾病与受伤发生率。 指标类型 本报告共采用三类指标： 1. 描述系统关键要素的运行状态； 2. 展示系统所承受主要压力的程度； 3. 衡量针对系统状态或状态变化所采取的应对措施。 本指标属于第一类：状态指标。 指标选取依据 人类健康状况可作为自然与人工环境的指示因子。部分影响人类健康的因素可直接与环境质量相关联。监测南极地区的医疗问诊率，能够获取疾病与受伤发生率的有效基线信息，并可潜在揭示南极环境相关的健康趋势。 南极地区自然环境条件极端恶劣，因此人工环境尤为重要，同时其也可作为外层空间隔绝环境的替代场景。若无居住设施与配套支撑结构，人类无法在南极定居。人类与自然环境的交互同样值得关注。各类伤病发生率至少可部分归因于南极地区的严苛环境。此外，南极还可为孤立密闭环境（ICE）对人类健康的影响研究提供有效数据。 环境因素与人类健康之间存在若干明确的直接关联案例。然而，由于多因果关系及中介过程的复杂性，通常难以将特定的"环境"输入与特定的健康结果直接对应起来。 指标监测方案的设计与策略 空间范围：澳大利亚南极及亚南极科考站 监测频率：月度数据按年度汇总上报 测量方法：通过时间序列信息分析医疗问诊率的变化趋势。本数据集信息取自ANARE健康登记系统，详见标题为《ANARE健康登记系统》的元数据记录。 研究议题 鉴于南极环境的特殊性及驻站科考人员的群体特征，与其他地区同类群体开展对比研究将具有重要价值。 本数据库已积累足够规模的数据，可开展更深入的分析，以识别健康趋势并更清晰地阐明南极环境的影响。此类趋势可能并不显著，但却可能对南极地区的人类活动产生重大影响。 人类及潜在病原体的存在是否会影响南极野生动物种群的疾病发生率？ 与其他指标的关联 环境状况（SOE）指标47：造成环境影响的事件数量与性质 环境状况（SOE）指标48：科考站与船舶的人天统计