Observational study of travel distance between participants in U.S. telemedicine sessions with estimates of emissions savings.

BACKGROUND: Digital health and telemedicine are potentially important strategies to decrease healthcare's environmental impact and contribution to climate change by reducing transportation-related air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, we currently lack robust national estimates of emissions savings attributable to telemedicine.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to (1) determine the travel distance between participants in U.S. telemedicine sessions, and (2) estimate the net reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions attributable to telemedicine in the United States, based on national, observational data describing the geographical characteristics of telemedicine session participants.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of telemedicine sessions in the United States between Jan. 1. 2022 and Feb. 21, 2023, on the Doxy.me platform. Using google distance matrix, we determined the median travel distance between participating providers and patients for a proportional sample of sessions. Further, based on the best available public data, we estimated the total annual emissions costs and savings attributable to telemedicine in the U.S.

RESULTS: The median round-trip travel distance between patients and providers was 49 miles. The median CO2 emissions savings per telemedicine session was 19.81 kg CO2. Accounting for the energy costs of telemedicine and U.S. transportation patterns, among other factors, we estimate that the use of telemedicine in the U.S. during the years 2021- 2022 resulted in approximate annual CO2 emissions savings of 1,443,800 metric tons.

CONCLUSIONS: These estimates of travel distance and telemedicine-associated CO2 emissions costs and savings, based upon national data, indicate that telemedicine may be an important strategy in reducing the healthcare sector's carbon footprint.