The tool empowers health providers to estimate net emissions from both virtual and in-person consultations.
Healthdirect Australia has launched a tool that enables the healthcare sector to accurately measure and report on emissions generated through the delivery of virtual health services.
The tool will provide healthcare organisations the information they need to include virtual care as part of their plans to reduce emissions, using a validated method that can be used for corporate reporting.
The tool, which comprises a framework, calculators and emissions factors, was announced at the global digital health and health informatics conference, MEDINFO25, in Taiwan recently by Healthdirect’s sustainability director, Rachel de Sain, who demonstrated its application using Healthdirect’s own data.
“Using the tool, we now know that Healthdirect’s triage and virtual care services in FY24 helped prevent an estimated 1.85 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions—equivalent to removing 925 cars from the road for a full year,” said Ms de Sain.
“We also found that for every trip to the emergency department avoided through a Healthdirect call, there’s an average emissions saving of 10 kilograms.
“This eases the burden on emergency service resources and, in many cases, totally avoids the need for travel to receive physical healthcare,” she said.
Developed in partnership with the University of Sydney and underpinned by research published in The Journal of Climate and Health, the new tool empowers health providers to estimate net emissions from both virtual and in-person consultations. It factors in variations in local travel distances, transport modes and the emissions generated by virtual calls, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of the emissions impact for each consultation.
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Designed to be scalable and localised for Australia’s unique geography and diverse travel behaviours, the tool is available for health services to help achieve their commitments to reduce emissions and support greater climate resilience by 2050.
While the user-friendly interface is simple, the tool is underpinned by a rigorous methodology and detailed data. Crucially, it also includes an estimate for the emissions of the virtual consultation itself, based on the energy consumption of computers and data centres.
This approach provides a credible estimate of a range of health consultations environmental impact, allowing providers to make data-driven decisions to support their transition to virtual, low-carbon care models.
Bettina McMahon, CEO of Healthdirect Australia, said:
“Virtual care isn’t just about convenience—it’s a real force for climate action. Our tool shows how digital health can drastically reduce emissions by avoiding unnecessary travel and supply chain impacts, allowing health services to confidently transition to a low-carbon future.
“We now have the evidence to show that virtual health services are a critical component of sustainable healthcare systems, delivering high-quality care with significantly lower environmental costs,” she said.
Healthdirect established its ESG Framework in 2024. The organisation’s Virtual Health Emissions Report can be read here.
