โก Quick Summary
The article explores the intersection of digital health and sustainability in healthcare, highlighting how technologies like telemedicine and artificial intelligence can alleviate the burden on healthcare systems while addressing their environmental impact. The concept of “twin transformation” is introduced, emphasizing the need for simultaneous digital and sustainable advancements.
๐ Key Details
- ๐ฑ Focus: Relationship between digital health and sustainability
- ๐ป Technologies discussed: Telemedicine, digital diagnostics, artificial intelligence
- โป๏ธ Key concept: Twin transformation for healthcare efficiency and sustainability
- ๐ฌ Research topics: Digital twins of patients and sustainable healthcare design
- ๐ฅ Specific examples: Applications in urology
๐ Key Takeaways
- ๐ Climate crisis significantly impacts healthcare, increasing disease cases.
- ๐ฅ Healthcare sector contributes to emissions, creating a vicious cycle.
- ๐ก Digital innovations can enhance efficiency and reduce burdens on medical professionals.
- โก Twin transformation can create synergies between digital and sustainable practices.
- ๐ Digital twins represent a promising area for sustainable healthcare design.
- ๐ Research is ongoing to explore the full potential of these technologies.
- ๐ง Urology examples illustrate practical applications of digital health innovations.
๐ Background
The healthcare sector faces a dual challenge from the climate crisis. As environmental factors like heatwaves and natural disasters lead to increased health issues, the sector itself is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This creates a complex situation where healthcare systems must adapt to rising demands while also reducing their environmental footprint.
๐๏ธ Study
The article discusses various digital health technologies and their potential to transform healthcare delivery. It emphasizes the importance of integrating sustainability into these digital innovations to ensure that the benefits outweigh the environmental costs associated with their implementation.
๐ Results
The authors highlight that by adopting a twin transformation approach, healthcare systems can achieve greater efficiency and sustainability. This synergy can lead to innovative solutions, such as the development of digital twins of patients, which can enhance personalized care while minimizing resource use.
๐ Impact and Implications
The findings suggest that embracing digital health technologies can significantly improve healthcare delivery while addressing environmental concerns. By leveraging innovations like telemedicine and AI, healthcare providers can not only enhance patient care but also contribute to a more sustainable future. This dual focus is essential for the long-term viability of healthcare systems in the face of climate change.
๐ฎ Conclusion
The article underscores the critical need for the healthcare sector to embrace both digital transformation and sustainability. By doing so, we can create a more efficient, effective, and environmentally friendly healthcare system. The future of healthcare lies in the successful integration of these two vital components, paving the way for a greener future.
๐ฌ Your comments
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[Digital health: aย green future for healthcare?].
Abstract
The healthcare sector is doubly affected by the climate crisis. On the one hand, the number of disease and injury cases will increase due to various effects such as heatwaves or natural disasters, further burdening the healthcare system. On the other hand, the healthcare sector itself significantly contributes to the emissions that exacerbate the climate crisis. Aย seemingly unsolvable vicious circle. That is why the present article discusses the relationship between digital health and sustainability in healthcare. Digital innovations such as telemedicine, digital diagnostics, or the use of artificial intelligence can increase efficiency and thus significantly relieve the burden on medical professionals. For the advantages of these technologies to outweigh inherent disadvantages like their high energy demand, digital and sustainable transformations must be addressed simultaneously. This so-called “twin transformation” shows that it can even unleash synergies. Therefore, this article describes interesting technological approaches and current research topics such as digital twins of patients and their sustainable design for healthcare. In addition, examples specific to urology are presented.
Author: [‘Adler SO’, ‘Hery D’, ‘Groen EC’, ‘Stadlbauer J’, ‘Ahrens TD’]
Journal: Urologie
Citation: Adler SO, et al. [Digital health: aย green future for healthcare?]. [Digital health: aย green future for healthcare?]. 2025; (unknown volume):(unknown pages). doi: 10.1007/s00120-025-02637-y