Coping with extreme heat in primary maternity care: An ethnography of frontline health workers in rural Zimbabwe
Highlights: •Health workers deliver maternity care in conditions of extreme, escalating heat. •First empirical qualitative study in Africa to examine how staff navigate extreme heat in maternity wards. •First qualitative ethnography globally to apply Adaptive Thermal Comfort Theory to clinical labour. •Heat adaptation emerges as a collective, resource-dependent, institutional and material process. •Protecting frontline staff from extreme heat is essential for climate-resilient health systems.
Authors
- Nasser Fardousi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0306-8612)
- Fortunate Machingura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4623-8180)
- Isabelle L. Lange (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8045-048X)
- Calvin Kunaka
- Concilia Mutasa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6073-276X)
- Tariro Chinozvina
- Samson Chikura
- Leslie Nyoni
- Jetina Tsvaki
- Brian Sibanda
- Tatenda Makanga
- George Mapiye
- Elizabeth Dangaiso
- Thabani Muronzie
- Llyod Pisa
- Veronique Filippi
- Cremance Tshuma
- Progress Chiworeka
- Matthew Chersich
- Bongani Mutimutema
- Madonna Mlambo
- Stanley Luchters
Publication Details
- Journal
- SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
- Published
- 2026-02-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2026.100718
- Primary Topic
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- UK Research and Innovation
- European Commission