Virtual Care Good for the Environment and Patient's Pockets
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Virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been good for the environment and has saved patients money, according to a new study.
Telephone visits, rather than in-person visits to the doctor, resulted in a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and patient travel-related expenses, such as gasoline, parking, or public transit costs in the province of Ontario, Canada.
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@prabir Virtual care was associated with estimated savings of 3.2 billion km in patient travel, 545 million to 658 million kg of carbon dioxide emissions, and $569 million to $733 million CAD (US $465 million to $599 million) in expenses for gasoline, parking, or public transit.
Carbon dioxide emission avoidance and patient cost savings were more apparent for patients living in rural areas, for those with higher comorbidity, and for patients older than 65 years.