Carbon Footprint of Telemedicine Solutions - Unexplored Opportunity for Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Health Sector
Carbon Footprint of Telemedicine Solutions - Unexplored Opportunity for Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Health Sector
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0105040
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发表时间：
2014-09-04
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Nilsson, Maria
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Holmner, Asa;Ebi, Kristie L.;Nilsson, Maria
背景资料：医疗行业是全球碳排放的重要贡献者，部分原因是患者和卫生工作者的大量旅行。目的：评估基于视频会议技术的远程医疗服务在减少医疗行业旅行和碳排放方面的潜力。方法：进行了一次生命周期清查，以评价远程医疗活动在减少旅行相关排放之外的碳减排潜力。这项研究包括瑞典Umea大学医院的两个康复单位。将远程医疗预约过程中产生的碳排放与常规护理情景进行了比较。根据不同的远程会议解决方案创建了上限和下限排放情景，并估计了远程医疗何时变得有利的阈值。进行敏感性分析，以查明最重要的贡献者的排放量为不同的设置和usecases.Results：取代物理访问与远程医疗预约导致在一个显着的40-70倍减少碳排放。会议持续时间、带宽和使用率等因素在不同程度上影响排放量。根据下限的情况下，远程医疗成为一个绿色的选择，在几公里的距离时，替代品是运输的carrier.Conclusions：远程医疗是一个强大的碳减排战略，在卫生部门。但是，要为减缓气候变化作出重大贡献，可能需要转变模式，将远程医疗视为普通保健活动的一个基本组成部分，而不仅仅是为因地理、孤立或其他限制而无法获得保健的少数人提供的服务。
Background: The healthcare sector is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, in part due to extensive travelling by patients and health workers.Objectives: To evaluate the potential of telemedicine services based on videoconferencing technology to reduce travelling and thus carbon emissions in the healthcare sector.Methods: A life cycle inventory was performed to evaluate the carbon reduction potential of telemedicine activities beyond a reduction in travel related emissions. The study included two rehabilitation units at Umea University Hospital in Sweden. Carbon emissions generated during telemedicine appointments were compared with care-as-usual scenarios. Upper and lower bound emissions scenarios were created based on different teleconferencing solutions and thresholds for when telemedicine becomes favorable were estimated. Sensitivity analyses were performed to pinpoint the most important contributors to emissions for different set-ups and use cases.Results: Replacing physical visits with telemedicine appointments resulted in a significant 40-70 times decrease in carbon emissions. Factors such as meeting duration, bandwidth and use rates influence emissions to various extents. According to the lower bound scenario, telemedicine becomes a greener choice at a distance of a few kilometers when the alternative is transport by car.Conclusions: Telemedicine is a potent carbon reduction strategy in the health sector. But to contribute significantly to climate change mitigation, a paradigm shift might be required where telemedicine is regarded as an essential component of ordinary health care activities and not only considered to be a service to the few who lack access to care due to geography, isolation or other constraints.