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The Bupa Health Insights series brings you the latest healthcare trends, interviews with medical experts and specialist insight from Bupa: all designed to keep you and your organisation one step ahead.
For the latest insights on supporting health and the environment, take a look here.
Accelerating the use of digital technologies was central to our Covid-19 response.
It will also be key to managing the shift to more sustainable business models and the threats to our health posed by climate change.
“We saw, the potential and convenience of remote consultations, apps, smart devices and other technologies,” says Bupa Global and UK medical director Dr Robin Clark,
“These technologies can play an important role in how we provide healthcare which provides better outcomes for people and for the planet.”
The speed of digital transformation has been astounding.
From late 2019 to the peak of the pandemic, the proportion of GP consultations delivered by phone or video link more than tripled from 13% to 48%.
While remote consultations are not emissions-free, the environmental benefits from avoided travel are huge.
The Royal College of Physicians estimates that every remote appointment saves between 0.70 and 372kg of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Cutting carbon
This journey has already begun.
Bupa’s digital GP app for example delivered around 771,000 digital consultations and has a significant green dividend.
This app alone has the potential to cut up to 8,000 equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide by eliminating unneeded travel; the equivalent of around 20.2 million air-miles or 819 flights around the world.
Many other technologies are showing significant potential to transform how care is delivered, maximise deployment of specialist skills and improve quality of life for patients.
And likewise producing huge benefits for the environment.
Dr Clark adds: “These technologies are already delivering benefits, for both patients and the planet, and they will be central to the way the healthcare and other sectors respond to climate change.
“It’s a journey that will require continual conversations and collaborations, and Bupa will be at the heart of that.”
For more on how promoting environmental health in the workplace can benefit your organisation, take a look at the full article here.
This article has been abbreviated by Health & Protection.
