Environmental impact of telerehabilitation visits in an urban setting

Abstract

• Travel cost and time burden are reduced using telehealth. • Telehealth positively impacted the environment by eliminating travel related gas emissions. • Patients and providers report high satisfaction with care delivered by SVV. Climate change has been described as the largest public health concern of the 21st century. In response to climate change over 50 countries have pledged to go carbon neutral in the provision of health care services and telemedicine can be an integral part of decreasing emissions related travel associated with health care. While telemedicine rapidly expanded to increase access to care during the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of telerehabilitation on climate change as part of the provision of physical rehabilitation services has not been assessed. This study focuses on physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians in an urban physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) department and assesses patient satisfaction with synchronous video visits (SVVs) as well as the estimated value of SVVs in travel savings and carbon emissions. We conducted a retrospective chart review, implemented a patient survey, and conducted a commuter analysis to report our experience using SVVs to provide follow-up care across multiple rehabilitation sub-specialties A total of 154 SVVs were conducted before the pandemic over an 18-month period. The most commonly addressed issues during the SVVs were rehabilitation and medication management, followed by equipment, lab and imaging results. About one-third of the patients (31%) were non-ambulatory at the time of their SVV. On average, SVVs reduced travel distance (95 miles), travel time (2.23 h), travel cost ($15) and carbon emissions. The use of telerehabilitation should be an integral part of decreasing the carbon footprint of provision of physical medicine and rehabilitation services.