Background: It is estimated that the healthcare industry contributes to 4% of global emissions. Telemedicine could play an important role in reducing our carbon footprint although reported benefits vary significantly. At one large adult CF unit (n=370) a new integrated telemedicine service allowed for remote clinic consultations; we wished to explore its environmental impact.

Methods: A comparison of estimated emissions from clinic provision was made for the year before introduction of CF telemedicine service (01/01/19-31/12/19) and year after service introduction (01/01/21-31/12/21). Total patient travel distance to and from clinic was calculated using home postcodes. Emissions were calculated using a UK government conversion chart based on vehicle type that provided estimated emissions in terms of CO2, NO and CH4 expressed in kg/km. For the purposes of calculations we assumed the passenger car to be a medium sized petrol car, the most common type of UK vehicle.

Results: Implementation of the telemedicine service resulted in median CO2 falling from 50kg to 8.1 kg with mean CO2 falling by 81.7kg. NO and CH4 emissions were reduced by a mean of 0.157kg and 0.139kg respectively. Average journey distance fell from 266 km to 43 km with median number of face-to-face clinical visits falling from 6 to 1. Median cost of estimated car travel fell from £23.10. to £3.76.

Conclusion: We demonstrated that a telemedicine service with a CF centre can lead to positive environmental impact by reducing carbon footprint whilst also reducing patient travel costs in terms of fuel. Any efficiency savings must be balanced by an understanding that face to face contact is still vital and remote monitoring of some conditions and individuals will not be sufficient.