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Impact of a Telemedicine Program on the Reduction in the Emission of Atmospheric Pollutants and Journeys by Road

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Listed:
  • Josep Vidal-Alaball

    (Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Institut Català de la Salut, 08272 Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
    Unitat de Suport a la Recerca de la Catalunya Central, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l’Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, 08007 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Jordi Franch-Parella

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08242 Manresa, Spain)

  • Francesc Lopez Seguí

    (TIC Salut Social-Ministry of Health, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
    CRES&CEXS-Pompeu Fabra University, 08005 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Francesc Garcia Cuyàs

    (Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Catalan Ministry of Health, 08950 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Jacobo Mendioroz Peña

    (Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Institut Català de la Salut, 08272 Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain
    Unitat de Suport a la Recerca de la Catalunya Central, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l’Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, 08007 Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

This retrospective study evaluates the effect of a telemedicine program developed in the central Catalan region in lowering the environmental footprint by reducing the emission of atmospheric pollutants, thanks to a reduction in the number of hospital visits involving journeys by road. Between January 2018 and June 2019, a total of 12,322 referrals were made to telemedicine services in the primary care centers, avoiding a total of 9034 face-to-face visits. In total, the distance saved was 192,682 km, with a total travel time saving of 3779 h and a total fuel reduction of 11,754 L with an associated cost of €15,664. This represents an average reduction of 3248.3 g of carbon dioxide, 4.05 g of carbon monoxide, 4.86 g of nitric oxide and 3.2 g of sulphur dioxide. This study confirms that telemedicine reduces the environmental impact of atmospheric pollutants emitted by vehicles by reducing the number of journeys made for face-to-face visits, and thus contributing to environmental sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Josep Vidal-Alaball & Jordi Franch-Parella & Francesc Lopez Seguí & Francesc Garcia Cuyàs & Jacobo Mendioroz Peña, 2019. "Impact of a Telemedicine Program on the Reduction in the Emission of Atmospheric Pollutants and Journeys by Road," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-7, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:22:p:4366-:d:285029
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Chongling Sun & Evangelia Chrysikou & Eleftheria Savvopoulou & Eva Hernandez-Garcia & Ava Fatah gen. Schieck, 2023. "Healthcare Built Environment and Telemedicine Practice for Social and Environmental Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, February.
    2. Josep Vidal-Alaball & Francesc López Seguí & Josep Lluís Garcia Domingo & Gemma Flores Mateo & Gloria Sauch Valmaña & Anna Ruiz-Comellas & Francesc X Marín-Gomez & Francesc García Cuyàs, 2020. "Primary Care Professionals’ Acceptance of Medical Record-Based, Store and Forward Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine in Catalonia: Results of a Web-Based Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-11, June.
    3. Lara Schmidt & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, 2022. "Planetary Health and Hospitals’ Contribution—A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    4. Samar Helou & Elie El Helou & Victoria Abou-Khalil & Jad Wakim & Jeanine El Helou & Alain Daher & Charline El Hachem, 2020. "The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians’ Use and Perception of Telehealth: The Case of Lebanon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Justyna Berniak-Woźny & Małgorzata Rataj, 2023. "Towards Green and Sustainable Healthcare: A Literature Review and Research Agenda for Green Leadership in the Healthcare Sector," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Anna Savoldelli & Daniele Landi & Caterina Rizzi, 2024. "Exploring Quantitative Methodologies for Assessing the Environmental, Social, and Economic Impacts of Telemedicine: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-25, March.
    7. Francesc X Marín-Gomez & Jacobo Mendioroz Peña & Vicenç Canal Casals & Marcos Romero Mendez & Ana Darnés Surroca & Antoni Nieto Maclino & Josep Vidal-Alaball, 2020. "Environmental and Patient Impact of Applying a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Model in Primary Care: Rural vs. Urban Centres," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-11, May.
    8. Oliver Lange & Julian Plath & Timo F. Dziggel & David F. Karpa & Mattis Keil & Tom Becker & Wolf H. Rogowski, 2022. "A Transparency Checklist for Carbon Footprint Calculations Applied within a Systematic Review of Virtual Care Interventions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-14, June.
    9. Francesc López Seguí & Jordi Franch Parella & Xavier Gironès García & Jacobo Mendioroz Peña & Francesc García Cuyàs & Cristina Adroher Mas & Anna García-Altés & Josep Vidal-Alaball, 2020. "A Cost-Minimization Analysis of a Medical Record-based, Store and Forward and Provider-to-provider Telemedicine Compared to Usual Care in Catalonia: More Agile and Efficient, Especially for Users," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-9, March.
    10. Josep Vidal-Alaball & Gemma Flores Mateo & Josep Lluís Garcia Domingo & Xavier Marín Gomez & Glòria Sauch Valmaña & Anna Ruiz-Comellas & Francesc López Seguí & Francesc García Cuyàs, 2020. "Validation of a Short Questionnaire to Assess Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions of Asynchronous Telemedicine Services: The Catalan Version of the Health Optimum Telemedicine Acceptance Questionnai," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-10, March.

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