Telemedicine has proven to be an effective strategy for health systems to reduce CO2 emissions. The confirmation comes from a study carried out in the United States
We also get sick from pollution, but we pollute to go and cure ourselves. An apparent paradox that we can analyze and counter. A recent scientific publication highlighted that health care in the United States is responsible for a significant fraction of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, pollution in the US healthcare sector resulted in the loss of approximately 388,000 years of life corrected for disability (DALYs).
Carbon monoxide halved
The CO2 intensity of outpatient visits is the total emission of greenhouse gases normalized by the number of annual patient visits and, from 2015 to 2020, total outpatient visits increased by 3.2% annually to 2.7 million. Telemedicine visits increased by an average of 53.2% per year, while in-person visits recorded modest increases, 1.5% per year until 2020, when they fell by 46.2%. The intensity of carbon monoxide produced by transport for outpatient visits halved consequently, going from 8 to 4 kgCO2-eq per visit. From 2010 to 2018 the eUS health-related greenhouse gas missions increased by 6%, reaching the highest rate among industrialized nations. Telemedicine has proven to be an effective strategy for health systems to reduce CO2 emissions.
*Coordinator of digital transformation Asl Frosinone, Lazio region
November 15, 2021 (change November 15, 2021 | 19:26)
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