Teleconsultation for Preoperative Anesthesia Evaluation: Identifying Environmental Potentials by Life Cycle...

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Environmental Science
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Teleconsultations for preoperative anesthesia evaluation were found feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Widespread adoption of teleconsultations in anesthesiology has not yet occurred despite potential benefits.
• Anesthesia teleconsultations may offer environmental advantages beyond time and economic savings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the potential environmental benefits of preoperative anesthesia teleconsultations compared to in-person consultations.
• To quantify the reduction in carbon emissions achievable through virtual preoperative anesthesia evaluations.

Main Methods:

• A life cycle assessment was conducted using prospective surveys.
• Patients at a preoperative anesthesia clinic were surveyed about travel distance and transportation methods.
• Data were collected to calculate potential environmental benefits from implementing teleconsultations.

Main Results:

• 821 patients participated in the survey; most traveled by car (81.7%) with a median distance of 25 km.
• If patients solely attending for anesthesia appointments had used virtual consultations, 3.03 tons of CO2 emissions could have been avoided.
• The study highlights the significant environmental impact of patient travel for in-person consultations.

Conclusions:

• Teleconsultations can effectively mitigate the environmental impact associated with in-person anesthesia consultations.
• Virtual preoperative evaluations offer a viable strategy for reducing carbon footprints in healthcare.
• Further research is recommended to expand teleconsultations to other medical specialties for preoperative evaluations.