Telehealth: Digitizing Healthcare is Good for the Environment
COP28 is almost over and I had the pleasure of attending and emceeing the technology and innovation stage during the ‘Health, Relief, Recovery and Peace’ themed day on December 3rd. I heard from different institutions and organizations on their solutions using digital technologies as well as innovations in tangible products and processes (think water desalination etc).
That experience had me rethinking and investigating how telemedicine has been affecting climate change. It was one of the technologies presented. There has been some research on this topic (although getting clear data on how much impact is notoriously hard). In general, traditional healthcare delivery with its in-person visits, centralized spaces and use of resources has a large impact. Telemedicine mitigates some of this:
Lowering carbon emissions: One of the most direct ways in which telemedicine contributes to environmental conservation is by lowering carbon emissions associated with transportation. If less people have to travel, less vehicle traffic there will be less carbon emission. In one study, the carbon footprint savings range between 0.70–372 kg CO2e per consultation. So that’s a bit of a range and it is context specific. Still it’s something and aligns with global initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of various sectors, including healthcare.
Decreasing healthcare facilities energy consumption: Our traditional healthcare physical infrastructures have substantial environmental impact. The construction, maintenance, and operation of hospitals and clinics contribute to energy consumption, water usage, and waste generation. Telehealth, if decentralizes care and allows for more of it at home, it can decrease the amount of physical structures we have which can help with this. Also, the carbon emissions produced from the use of the telemedicine systems themselves were found to be very low in comparison to emissions saved from travel reductions. This is key. And promising.
Decreased supplies: Telehealth requires tech, data sharing and devices. Most of which we have anyway. Not being in person can also lead to less single use medical supplies, positively impacting waste and landfill usage. This is a larger issue than most of us day-to-day health workers realize.
Use of electronic records: Digitized medical records, electronic prescriptions, and virtual consultations can reduce the need for excessive paperwork, decreasing the demand for paper and the environmental impact associated with its production. Most of us have gone to EMR anyway. Telemedicine relies on electronic records - there is no efficient way to do it on paper. So anyone implementing telehealth will have some version of an EMR saving paper.
While these benefits are promising, the full extent of these advantages depends on various factors, including the energy efficiency of the digital infrastructure, the sourcing of energy for data centers, and the disposal of electronic devices. So not only do we need to think through equity, improved expansion, we also need to build sustainability principles into our next telehealth programs. They go hand in hand, however, so that makes it easier.
Most of these benefits have been ‘accidental’ which is why research about the climate effects by telehealth is low. I consider any benefit for telehealth a win. Now we simply need to collaboratively and purposely ensure these principles are established.