Impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions due to the use of telemedicine

Serra, César Morcillo; Tanarro, Ana Aroca; Cummings, Catherine Mary; Fuertes, Araceli Jimenez; Martínez, José Francisco Tomás

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-16864-2

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Eight studies were conducted in the United Kingdom, 7 in the United States, and 2 in Spain, with the remainder in France, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, and Portugal. One study examined the impact of video consulting at a national level across different health care specialties [ 58 ]. Two other studies attempted to extrapolate from the analysis of the reduction in carbon emissions in 1 telemedicine service to the national level [ 39 , 62 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Virtual Consulting in Developing Environmentally Sustainable Health Care: Systematic Literature Review

Strange¹,

Booth²,

Akiki³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

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Background Health systems globally need to rapidly set and achieve targets for reaching net zero carbon emissions. Virtual consulting (including video- and telephone-based consulting) is regarded as one means by which this might be achieved, largely through reduced patient travel. Little is currently known about the ways in which forms of virtual consulting might contribute to the net zero agenda or how countries may develop and implement programs at scale that can support increased environmental sustainability. Objective In this paper, we asked, What is the impact of virtual consulting on environmental sustainability in health care? and What can we learn from current evaluations that can inform future reductions in carbon emissions? Methods We conducted a systematic review of published literature according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We searched the MEDLINE, PubMed, and Scopus databases using key terms relating to “carbon footprint,” “environmental impact,” “telemedicine,” and “remote consulting,” using citation tracking to identify additional articles. The articles were screened, and full texts that met the inclusion criteria were obtained. Data on the approach to carbon footprinting reported reductions in emissions, and the opportunities and challenges associated with the environmental sustainability of virtual consultations were extracted into a spreadsheet, analyzed thematically, and theorized using the Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services framework to consider the various interacting influences, including environmental sustainability, that shape the adoption of virtual consulting services. Results A total of 1672 papers were identified. After removing duplicates and screening for eligibility, 23 papers that focused on a range of virtual consulting equipment and platforms across different clinical conditions and services were included. The focus on the environmental sustainability potential of virtual consulting was unanimously reported through carbon savings achieved by a reduction in travel related to face-to-face appointments. The shortlisted papers used a range of methods and assumptions to determine carbon savings, reporting these using different units and across varied sample sizes. This limited the potential for comparison. Despite methodological inconsistencies, all papers concluded that virtual consulting significantly reduced carbon emissions. However, there was limited consideration of wider factors (eg, patient suitability, clinical indication, and organizational infrastructure) influencing the adoption, use, and spread of virtual consultations and the carbon footprint of the entire clinical pathway in which the virtual consultation was provided (eg, risk of missed diagnoses from virtual consultations that result in the need for subsequent in-person consultations or admissions). Conclusions There is overwhelming evidence that virtual consulting can reduce health care carbon emissions, largely through reducing travel related to in-person appointments. However, the current evidence fails to look at system factors associated with implementing virtual health care delivery and wider research into carbon emissions across the entire clinical pathway.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two studies used videoconferencing software combined with digital imaging [ 61 , 62 ]. In 1 instance, both telephone and videoconferencing were used to deliver virtual services [ 42 ], and in 4 other studies, patients were given the option of either telephone or audiovisual/video consulting [ 43 , 46 , 53 , 58 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Virtual Consulting in Developing Environmentally Sustainable Health Care: Systematic Literature Review

Strange¹,

Booth²,

Akiki³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, this approach contributes to reducing a patient's environmental impact by reducing the need for travel. Consequently, this article is relevant to the Special Topic "One Health" as it highlights the potential benefits of telehealth in improving patient outcomes and reducing environmental impacts, as shown in [21]. In addition to reducing the time and travel burden associated with participation, remote technology, and decentralization tools can also help increase patient enrollment in cancer clinical trials as suggested by the findings of Adams et al [22].…”

Section: Insights Into the Candidate Papers And Best Papersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming Clinical Information Systems: Empowering Healthcare through Telemedicine, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence Applications

Hackl,

Neururer,

Pfeifer

2023

Yearb Med Inform

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Objective: In this synopsis, the editors of the Clinical Information Systems (CIS) section of the IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics overview recent research and propose a selection of best papers published in 2022 in the CIS field. Methods: The editors follow a systematic approach to gather relevant articles and select the best papers for the section. This year, they updated the query to incorporate the topic of telemedicine and removed search terms related to geographic information systems. The revised query resulted in a larger number of identified papers, necessitating the appointment of a third section editor to handle the increased workload. The editors narrowed the initial pool of articles to 15 candidate papers through a multi-stage selection process. At least seven independent reviews were collected for each candidate paper, and a selection meeting with the IMIA Yearbook editorial board led to the final selection of the best papers for the CIS section. Results: The query was carried out in mid-January 2023 and retrieved a deduplicated result set of 5,206 articles from 1,500 journals. This year, 15 papers were nominated as candidates, and four were finally selected as the best papers in the CIS section.Including telemedicine in the query resulted in a substantial increase in the number of papers found. The analysis highlights the growing convergence between clinical information systems and telemedicine, with mobile health (mHealth) technologies and data science applications gaining prominence. The selected candidate papers emphasize the practical impact of research efforts, focusing on patient-centric outcomes and benefits, including intelligent mobile health monitoring systems and AI-assisted decision-making in healthcare. Conclusions: Looking ahead, the field of CIS is expected to continue evolving, driven by advances in telemedicine, mHealth technologies, data science, and AI integration, leading to more efficient, patient-oriented, and intelligent healthcare systems and overall improvement of global healthcare outcomes.

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“…Virtual care, is defined as the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology 8 . It can reduce emissions from patient travel and resource utilization from in‐person interactions across a variety of specialties 9–12 . Virtual care can also be more convenient and cost‐effective for patients and improve healthcare access for rural and remote communities 7,8,13 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon savings potential of virtual care in obstructive sleep apnea and otitis media with effusion

Heffernan,

Lalande,

Chadha

et al. 2024

Laryngoscope Investig Oto

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ObjectiveTo determine the carbon savings potential of incorporating virtual care into surgical care pathways for pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea or otitis media with effusion.MethodsPediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea or otitis media with effusion were not enrolled, instead, a modeling cohort study design was used. This study utilized the British Columbia healthcare system and geography to model emissions. Care pathways were developed for pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea or otitis media with effusion requiring care at a tertiary pediatric center. Home addresses were located at the geographical center of the two most populated municipalities within each of the 10 most populated regional districts in 2020. Virtual visits replaced up to three clinically equivalent in‐person visits. Emissions (kgCO2e) for transport and virtual visits were estimated. Population‐weighted means and descriptive statistics were calculated.ResultsUtilizing 1, 2, or 3 virtual visits in the obstructive sleep apnea care pathway yielded potential emissions savings of 19.9%, 39.9%, and 59.8% respectively. Integrating 1, 2, or 3 virtual visits into the otitis media with effusion care pathway produced potential emissions savings of 16.6%, 33.2%, and 49.7%, respectively. Integrating 3 virtual visits can save up to 2156.8 kgCO2e per patient.ConclusionsAppropriately conducting up to 50% of clinical encounters virtually for children with obstructive sleep apnea or otitis media with effusion reduced theoretical carbon emissions. For a single child, emission savings could reach over 2150 kgCO2e.Level of EvidenceLevel 5.

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Impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions due to the use of telemedicine

Cited by 27 publications

References 25 publications

The Role of Virtual Consulting in Developing Environmentally Sustainable Health Care: Systematic Literature Review

The Role of Virtual Consulting in Developing Environmentally Sustainable Health Care: Systematic Literature Review

Transforming Clinical Information Systems: Empowering Healthcare through Telemedicine, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence Applications

Carbon savings potential of virtual care in obstructive sleep apnea and otitis media with effusion

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