Pathways to Sustainable Health Care Development: Study on the Carbon Reduction Potential of Telemedicine in China

Background:

Carbon emissions are a global concern due to their significant greenhouse effect. The health care sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be controlled. Telemedicine in China continued to grow between 2020 and 2022, offering a promising solution for reducing carbon emissions in the country’s health sector.

Objective:

This study explores the potential of telemedicine for reducing GHG emissions and saving energy through a life cycle assessment.

Methods:

This study used the Chinese Environmentally Extended Input-Output database, which is based on input-output models, to quantify the GHG emissions and energy consumption associated with care outpatient and telemedicine from a life cycle perspective. Data collected from the West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University between 2020 and 2022 were incorporated into the analyses.

Results:

The findings indicated that telemedicine could reduce GHG emissions by 36 tCO₂e. The GHG emissions per telemedicine session were only 19.14 kgCO₂e and are expected to decrease from 2025 to 2030. Replacing in-person treatments with telemedicine can lead to an average reduction of 85.51 kgCO₂e emissions.

Conclusions:

In the future, the widespread adoption of telemedicine could help achieve carbon neutrality in the health care sector. Telemedicine is crucial for establishing the sustainable development of the health care sector.