[Reducing CO2 emissions from hospital consultations: Potential and limitations of teleconsultation in internal medicine].

BACKGROUND

The healthcare sector accounts for approximately 8% of France's greenhouse gas emissions, a share of which is attributable to patient travel. Teleconsultation, whose expansion was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, may reduce the carbon footprint of care pathways. The aim of this study was to quantify CO2 emissions associated with internal medicine outpatient consultations at a hospital and to estimate the reduction potential linked to teleconsultation.

METHODS

An observational study was conducted at the Bourg-en-Bresse General Hospital, including 301 patients seen in outpatient consultation between March and May 2025. Data were collected through patient and physician questionnaires. Travelrelated CO2 emissions were estimated from home-to-hospital distances. Eligibility for teleconsultation was defined by medical consensus.

RESULTS

The mean patient age was 58.5 years, and 62.6% were female. The median round-trip travel distance was 37km, and 88.7% of patients travelled by private car. Mean emissions were 6.6kgCO2eq per consultation. Teleconsultation was deemed medically feasible for 42.8% of patients. Among these, emissions decreased from 5.83 to 1.41kgCO2eq, representing a 75.4% reduction; however, only 11.8% of patients met all technical and acceptability criteria required to benefit from it.

CONCLUSION

Teleconsultation enables a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions, yet its real-world impact remains constrained by technical, human, and organisational barriers. Targeted strategies are needed to optimise its implementation.