TY  - JOUR
AU  - Li, Zhi
AU  - Xiang, Lianrui
AU  - Ning, Jing
AU  - Li, Wenbo
AU  - Huang, Yong
AU  - Xiao, Xue
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/2/24
TI  - Pathways to Sustainable Health Care Development: Study on the Carbon Reduction Potential of Telemedicine in China
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e63927
VL  - 27
KW  - telemedicine
KW  - carbon reduction potential
KW  - carbon emissions
KW  - energy consumption
KW  - sustainable development
AB  - Background: Carbon emissions are a global concern due to their significant greenhouse effect. The health care sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be controlled. Telemedicine in China continued to grow between 2020 and 2022, offering a promising solution for reducing carbon emissions in the country’s health sector. Objective: This study explores the potential of telemedicine for reducing GHG emissions and saving energy through a life cycle assessment. Methods: This study used the Chinese Environmentally Extended Input-Output database, which is based on input-output models, to quantify the GHG emissions and energy consumption associated with care outpatient and telemedicine from a life cycle perspective. Data collected from the West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University between 2020 and 2022 were incorporated into the analyses. Results: The findings indicated that telemedicine could reduce GHG emissions by 36 tCO2e. The GHG emissions per telemedicine session were only 19.14 kgCO2e and are expected to decrease from 2025 to 2030. Replacing in-person treatments with telemedicine can lead to an average reduction of 85.51 kgCO2e emissions. Conclusions: In the future, the widespread adoption of telemedicine could help achieve carbon neutrality in the health care sector. Telemedicine is crucial for establishing the sustainable development of the health care sector. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e63927
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/63927
DO  - 10.2196/63927
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/63927
ER  -