Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
09:50
Real-World M3-BREATHE: Toward Multimodal Mobile Monitoring of Behaviour, Respiration, and Exposures for Treatment and Health Evaluation
Published on: June 5, 2026
A Scalable Approach for Estimating Employee Commuting Emissions at U.S. Healthcare Facilities
Melanie Marino1, Matthew J Eckelman
1Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|August 11, 2026
Summary
This study introduces a standardized method to estimate employee commuting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for U.S. healthcare facilities. The findings offer a scalable tool for organizations to track and reduce their environmental impact.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Healthcare Management
- Climate Change Mitigation
Background:
- Current methods for estimating healthcare facility commuting emissions are often inefficient and difficult to scale.
- A need exists for a standardized, accessible tool to quantify these emissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a standardized methodology for estimating employee commuting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in U.S. healthcare facilities.
- To provide a scalable solution that overcomes the limitations of current estimation approaches.
Main Methods:
- Utilized quantitative data analysis, spatially joining healthcare facility locations with EPA Smart Location Calculator data.
- Estimated per-worker commuting GHG emissions for a large cohort of U.S. healthcare facilities.
Main Results:
- Analysis of ~63,000 U.S. healthcare facilities revealed per-worker commuting emissions centered around 1,949 kg CO2e/year.
- This average represents approximately 12% of the national per-capita average for all GHG emissions.
Conclusions:
- The developed tool enables healthcare organizations to estimate baseline commuting emissions effectively.
- Facilitates the implementation of targeted sustainability initiatives and supports compliance with climate commitments within the healthcare sector.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
Essential infection prevention measures are based on the knowledge of the infection chain, the modes of transmission in healthcare settings, and the use of the best practices in all healthcare settings. Compulsory public reporting of healthcare-associated infection rates is needed to allow individuals and the community to make informed choices regarding selecting a healthcare facility.
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
At the different levels of the healthcare system, we see varying methods of healthcare used. These methods include managed care systems, case management, and primary healthcare.
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
01:30Methods of Documentation VII: EMR
Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) primarily center around electronically documenting patients' health information within a single healthcare organization or practice. They contain essential clinical data related to a patient's medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, lab results, and other pertinent information relevant to the specific encounter or episode of care. EMRs are designed to streamline documentation and workflow processes within individual healthcare settings,...
01:23Linear Approximations
For a differentiable function of two variables, linear approximation estimates values near a known point by replacing the curved surface with its tangent plane. Consider the function\begin{equation*}f(x,y)=x^2+3y^2\end{equation*}near the point (2, 1). The exact value at this point is f(2, 1) = 22 + 3(1)2 = 4 + 3 = 7.The linear approximation of f(x, y)) near (a, b) is\begin{equation*}L(x,y)=f(a,b)+f_x(a,b)(x-a)+f_y(a,b)(y-b)\end{equation*}First, compute the partial derivatives: fx(x, y) = 2x and...