Telemedicine cuts healthcare carbon footprint and patient costs during pandemic

(SACREMENTO)

A study by UC Davis Health researchers assessed the carbon footprint of telehealth visits and their potential savings in lives, costs, and time compared to in-person visits. It included data from five UCLA health systems for the first two years of the pandemic.

The study showed significant savings for patients and the environment, including eliminating the need to travel 53,664,391 miles – that’s 113 round trips from Earth to the Moon! Telemedicine also saved approximately 204 years of travel time, $33,540,244 in travel-related savings, and 42.4 injuries and 0.7 deaths.

“Our study has documented the many benefits of using telemedicine for outpatient visits,” said Shristi Sharma, UC Davis physician in preventive medicine and lead author of the study. “This is the first large-scale study that evaluates round-trip distance, time and cost savings, and greenhouse gas emissions averted by the use of telemedicine during a pandemic.”

Caucasian female doctor in a white coat takes notes while looking at the camera and monitor during a telemedicine session with a patient.
UC Davis Health doctors used telemedicine to serve their patients

Climate change, pandemic and telemedicine

The pandemic has forced healthcare facilities to use telemedicine for doctor appointments. Although this technology has been around for many years, it has been underused by medical organizations.

“The world is currently in a climate crisis. As one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, the healthcare industry needs to take serious steps to reduce its carbon footprint and telemedicine is one of them,” said Sharma.

The team looked at data from five UC health systems: UC Davis, UC San Francisco, UC Los Angeles, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego. They calculated round-trip distances, travel times, travel costs, injuries and deaths avoided, and greenhouse gas emissions that patients would produce if they were to seek outpatient services in person instead of telehealth services. They only included visits during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state university system serves about 40 million people. Between January 2020 and December 2021, there were approximately 16.8 million outpatient visits at UC Health Systems clinics. Approximately 18% of these visits were telemedicine.

Telemedicine benefits patients, healthcare organizations and the environment

The study showed that telemedicine can be a safe, effective and cost-effective method to address climate change. He recommended outpatient telemedicine services as a patient-friendly way to provide care, even when the pandemic is over.

An African American is sitting at the kitchen table and waving a tablet.  In front of him is a cup of tea.
Telemedicine has saved patients time, money and the risk of commuting

In two years of studying telemedicine, university health systems alone have saved nearly 53.7 million miles of travel. On average, telemedicine allowed the patient to avoid:

  • drive 17.6 miles
  • spending about 35 minutes on a trip to visit
  • paying an estimate of $11 to travel to their meetings

The researchers also estimated the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to fewer car trips. They found CO2 The reduction in emissions over two years alone was about 21,466 metric tons. This is equivalent to an annual CO emission.2 emissions from electricity use of 4,177 US homes.

The team hopes healthcare facilities can build on the momentum created by COVID-19 safety measures and keep telemedicine alive even after the pandemic ends.

“Even if only 25% of outpatient visits were done via telemedicine, there would still be substantial cost savings and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. James Marchindirector UC Davis Health and Technology Centerprofessor of pediatrics and senior author of the study.

Shristi Sharma

As one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, the healthcare industry needs to take serious steps to reduce its carbon footprint, and telemedicine is one of them.”Shristi Sharma

the study was published in Journal of Telemedicine and eHealth. Another UC Davis Health co-authors are Peter Yellowulis, Christine Gotthardt, Marie Luce and Mark Avdalovich.

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