The Impact of Telemedicine in Reducing the Carbon Footprint in Health Care: A Systematic Review and Cumulative Analysis of 68 Million Clinical Consultations

Carbon footprint (CF) has emerged as an important factor when assessing health care interventions. To investigate the reduction in CF for patients utilizing telemedicine. The PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were queried for studies describing telemedicine consultation and reporting on carbon emissions saved and the carbon emissions of telemedicine devices as primary outcomes, and travel distance and time and cost savings and safety as secondary outcomes. Outcomes were tabulated and calculated per consultation. Carbon emissions and travel distances were also calculated for each total study cohort. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, and the Oxford level of evidence was determined. A total of 48 studies met the inclusion criteria, covering 68 465 481 telemedicine consultations and savings of 691 825 tons of CO emissions and 3 318 464 047 km of travel distance. Carbon assessment was mostly reported as the estimated distance saved using a conversion factor. Medical specialties used telemedicine to connect specialists with patients at home (n = 25) or at a local center (n = 6). Surgical specialties used telemedicine for virtual preoperative assessment (n = 9), follow-up (n = 4), and general consultation (n = 4). The savings per consultation were 21.9-632.17 min and $1.85-$325. More studies focused on the COVID-19 time frame (n = 33) than before the pandemic (n = 15). The studies are limited by calculations, mostly for the travel distance for carbon savings, and appropriate follow-up to analyze the real impact on travel and appointments. Telemedicine reduces the CF of the health care sector. Expanding the use of telemedicine and educating providers and patients could further decrease CO emissions and save both money and time. We reviewed 48 studies on the use of telemedicine. We found that people used their cars less and saved time and money, as well as CO emissions, if they used teleconsultations. Some studies only looked at how much CO from driving was saved, so there might be more to learn about the benefits of teleconsultations. The use of online doctor appointments is not only good for our planet but also helps patients in saving time and money. This review is registered on the PROSPERO database for systematic reviews (CRD42023456839).