Does telemedicine reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare? A systematic review

EN BREF ...

"In the rapidly progressing field of telemedicine, there is a multitude of evidence assessing the effectiveness and financial costs of telemedicine projects; however, there is very little assessing the environmental impact despite the increasing threat of the climate emergency. This report provides a systematic review of the evidence on the carbon footprint of telemedicine. The identified papers unanimously report that telemedicine does reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare, primarily by reduction in transport-associated emissions. Telemedicine is the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) within the realm of healthcare. The scope of services that fall within the remit of telemedicine is ambiguous. This paper uses the World Health Organization definition of telemedicine, defined as the use of ICT ‘for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers’." En bref issu de l'étude.