ArticleJAMA network open2022
Association of Virtual Care Expansion With Environmental Sustainability and Reduced Patient Costs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada.
Article in JAMA network open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.
What it found
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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
25 citing papers in PubMed.
- The sustainability and environmental impact of virtual care for inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based retrospective cohort study.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Sustainability indicators for gastrointestinal endoscopy: a framework proposed by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Estimated Travel-Related COHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Reducing healthcare emissions in the United States in the era of federal environmental deregulation: established and emerging mitigation opportunities and concomitant benefits.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
- Telemedicine and reduction of travel-related environmental impact of digestive clinic care in a Canadian province.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Patterns of specialist healthcare delivery among inflammatory bowel disease patients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario: a population-based study.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Implementation of an innovative virtual selective screening program for early detection of cerebral palsy in British Columbia.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- A decade of greener care: Environmental, economic, and operational impact of the virtual stone clinic in the United Kingdom.Central European journal of urology · 2026Article
- Patient Perspectives on Virtual vs In-Person Posttreatment Care for Brain Metastases.Advances in radiation oncology · 2025Article
- Cost4Visit: a cross-sectional cohort study on hidden costs among surgical patients and relatives for in-person and video visits.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Aligning With the Goals of the Planetary Health Concept Regarding Ecological Sustainability and Digital Health: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Practitioners' perspectives on implementation of acute virtual wards: A scoping review.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Estimating Patient and Family Costs and CO2 Emissions for Telehealth and In-Person Health Care Appointments in British Columbia, Canada: Geospatial Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Telehealth-An Environmentally Friendly Way to Take Care of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Sustainable practice in gastroenterology: travel-related COJournal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Economic, Environmental, and Social Value of Virtual Care in Otolaryngology: Sustainability in Quality Improvement Framework.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- Experiences of gender-affirming healthcare among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people during the COVID-19 pandemic: An explanatory sequential mixed methods study.International journal of transgender health · 2025Article
- Article
- A sustainable and expedited 'One-Stop' prostate cancer diagnostic pathway to reduce environmental impact and enhance accessibility.BJUI compass · 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
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Importance: There is a growing focus on environmental sustainability in health care. Objective: To estimate the environmental and patient-level financial benefits associated with the widespread adoption of virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cross-sectional study obtained data from linked administrative databases in the universal health care system of Ontario, Canada, from March 2020 to December 2021. Participants included all people with a physician claim for at least 1 episode of virtual care. Exposures: Patients were stratified by age, socioeconomic status quintiles, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and area of residence (rural or urban). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were total travel distance and estimated travel-related carbon dioxide emissions avoided owing to virtual care visits. Different model assumptions were used to account for electric and hybrid vehicles and public transit use. The secondary outcomes were estimated patient costs (gasoline, parking, or public transit expenses) avoided. Results: During the 22-month study period, 10 146 843 patients (mean [SD] age, 44.1 [23.1] years; 5 536 611 women [54.6%]) had 63 758 914 physician virtual care visits. These visits were associated with avoidance of 3.2 billion km of travel distance and between 545 and 658 million kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Patients avoided an estimated total of $569 to $733 million (Canadian [US $465-$599 million]) in parking, public transit, and gasoline costs. Carbon dioxide emission avoidance and patient cost savings were more apparent in patients living in rural areas, those with higher comorbidity, and those who were older than 65 years. Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this study suggest that virtual care was associated with a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions avoided owing to reduced patient travel and with millions of dollars saved in parking, gasoline, or public transit costs. These benefits are likely to continue as virtual care is maintained as part of the health care system.
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