5 Ways Digital Health Can Help Decarbonise Patient Pathways

In its lead-up to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the WHO issued the ‘The Health Argument for climate action’ report. In it, the organisation shares its recommendations for governments on how to “maximise the health benefits of tackling climate change in order to avoid the worst health impacts of the climate crisis.” A recent analysis found that globally, healthcare’s carbon footprint accounts for around 4-5% of total global carbon dioxide emissions. These are not insignificant figures and are the reason why the WHO is pushing for a more environmentally-sustainable approach to healthcare. Individual governments like in the UK are also taking steps of their own in this regard. The carbon footprint spans the whole spectrum of the healthcare landscape from the supply chain of drugs to the commute to hospitals. At The Medical Futurist, we’ve already explored how digital health can assist in tackling climate change. And in this article, we will look at the crisis from another angle, that of the patient pathway.  We will explore 5 ways where digital health-enabled choices can contribute to making healthcare more carbon-neutral along this pathway. 1. Going paperless with digital prescriptions The UK’s NHS estimates that each of its Trusts spends between £500,000 and £1million annually for paper storage. By going paperless, not only can these expenses be diverted to patient care but can also cut down on paper use. This is...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: TMF Forecast Digital Health Research healthcare systems sustainability climate crisis decarbonising patient pathways Source Type: blogs