Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

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

Josep Vidal-Alaball
* ORCID logo ,
Jordi Franch-Parella
* ORCID logo ,
Francesc Lopez Segui
,
Francesc Garcia Cuyàs
,
Jacobo Mendioroz Peña
Version 1 : Received: 3 October 2019 / Approved: 4 October 2019 / Online: 4 October 2019 (10:25:37 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Vidal-Alaball, J.; Franch-Parella, J.; Lopez Seguí, F.; Garcia Cuyàs, F.; Mendioroz Peña, J. Impact of a Telemedicine Program on the Reduction in the Emission of Atmospheric Pollutants and Journeys by Road. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4366. Vidal-Alaball, J.; Franch-Parella, J.; Lopez Seguí, F.; Garcia Cuyàs, F.; Mendioroz Peña, J. Impact of a Telemedicine Program on the Reduction in the Emission of Atmospheric Pollutants and Journeys by Road. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4366.

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 9,034 face-to-face visits. In total, the distance saved was 192,682 km, with a total travel time savings of 3,779 hours and a total fuel reduction of 11,754 liters with an associated cost of €15,664. This represents an average reduction of 3,248.3 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, reducing the number of journeys made for face-to-face visits and can contribute to environmental sustainability.

Keywords

telemedicine; carbon dioxide; air pollutants; vehicle emissions; primary care

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Other

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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