ArticlePharmaceutical medicine2022
The Carbon Costs of In-Person Versus Virtual Medical Conferences for the Pharmaceutical Industry: Lessons from the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Article in Pharmaceutical medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Staying Functional Through Connection and Adaptation: When Islets Inspire Islet Biologists.Diabetes · 2026Review
- Impact of Teleconsultation before Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection on Quality of Care and Environmental Sustainability: A French Multicenter Study.Endoscopy international open · 2026Article
- Digital learning, face-to-face learning and climate change.Future healthcare journal · 2024Article
- Considerations for Planning Effective and Appealing Advisory Boards and Other Small-Group Meetings with Health Care Providers: Importance of Participant Preferences.Pharmaceutical medicine · 2024Article
- Reinventing ESMO after the COVID-19 pandemic: moving towards a sustainable academic society.ESMO open · 2024Article
- Planetary health lens for primary care: Considering environmental sustainability offers benefits to patients and to providers.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2024Article
- Environmental accountability: why it matters in social accountability strategies: Rapid evidence narrative from the SAFE for Health Institutions project team.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2024Article
- Virtual Learning Decreases the Carbon Footprint of Medical Education.Dermatology and therapy · 2024Article
- The carbon footprint of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America national meetings.Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · 2024Article
- Journey from an Enabler to a Strategic Leader: Integration of the Medical Affairs Function in ESG Initiatives and Values.Pharmaceutical medicine · 2023Article
- The carbon footprint cost of travel to Canadian Urological Association conferences.Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany in-person congresses have shifted to a virtual format owing to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We assessed carbon emissions savings associated with virtual attendance at international medical congresses for a mid-sized pharmaceutical company, to identify which aspects are driving the carbon cost.
methodsWe assessed carbon emissions that were the responsibility of company attendees (including their guests) for the most attended congresses by employees (American Society of Clinical Oncology [ASCO], European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society [ENETS], European Society for Medical Oncology [ESMO], World Congress for NeuroRehabilitation [WCNR]). For in-person estimates, we considered travel, accommodation and congress attendance; for online estimates, we considered office and internet-related energy use. Emissions were defined using recognised data sources.
resultsFor 1723 anticipated in-person attendees, calculated total carbon emissions were 3,262,574 kgCO
conclusionCarbon emissions associated with virtual attendance were two orders of magnitude lower than for in-person attendance, and therefore the benefits of in-person attendance at medical congresses must be balanced against the carbon cost. Due diligence around who should attend and how they should travel to face-to-face meetings, and consideration of hybrid and domestic satellite options could be part of a balanced solution to reducing carbon emissions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.