The Importance of Evaluating Digital Health in the Context of Addressing Climate Change
6 affiliations
- 1Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University Sydney Australia
- 2UMIT TIROL, Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology Hall in Tirol Austria
- 3Keele University, School of Social, Political and Global Studies and School of Primary, Community and Social Care Keele United Kingdom
- 4The University of Edinburgh, Usher Institute Edinburgh United Kingdom
- 5Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Informatics Meibergdreef 9 Amsterdam Netherlands
- 6School of Computing, University of Portsmouth Portsmouth United Kingdom
Abstract
Objectives: As climate change increasingly threatens societal wellbeing, including public health and healthcare systems, the environmental impact and role of digital health technologies as mitigating agents warrants critical exploration. This paper examines evaluation of the utility of digital health to address climate-related healthcare challenges and discusses the environmental sustainability of digital health.
Method: vA perspective paper based on a narrative review of literature alongside expert perspectives from the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Working Group on Technology Assessment and Quality Development in Health Informatics and the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) Working Group for Assessment of Health Information Systems.
Results: Digital health technologies hold immense potential to identify climate-related health challenges through predictive analytics, reduce the environmental impact of the healthcare sector through virtual care delivery, and equip healthcare systems to better respond to and navigate disaster scenarios. However, the increasing use of technologies raises concerns about their environmental impact due to high energy consumption and e-waste generation. It is, therefore, essential that their development, implementation and optimization is evaluated with a focus on environmental sustainability.
Conclusion: To ensure the sustainable integration of digital health technologies, a holistic evaluation approach is necessary. Informaticians, healthcare providers, technology developers, and policymakers must collaborate to establish standardized frameworks that incorporate sustainability metrics across the entire lifespan of digital health initiatives. By doing so, digital health can have a positive impact on healthcare challenges while minimizing its environmental footprint.
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BibTeX
@article{prgomet2026importance,
title = {{The Importance of Evaluating Digital Health in the Context of Addressing Climate Change}},
author = {Mirela Prgomet and Farah Magrabi and Elske Ammenwerth and Michael Rigby and Kathrin Cresswell and Stephanie Medlock and Elisavet Andrikopoulou and Andrew Georgiou},
journal = {Yearbook of Medical Informatics},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1055/s-0046-1816596},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0046-1816596},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Importance of Evaluating Digital Health in the Context of Addressing Climate Change
AU - Mirela Prgomet
AU - Farah Magrabi
AU - Elske Ammenwerth
AU - Michael Rigby
AU - Kathrin Cresswell
AU - Stephanie Medlock
AU - Elisavet Andrikopoulou
AU - Andrew Georgiou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Yearbook of Medical Informatics
DO - 10.1055/s-0046-1816596
UR - https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0046-1816596
AB - Objectives: As climate change increasingly threatens societal wellbeing, including public health and healthcare systems, the environmental impact and role of digital health technologies as mitigating agents warrants critical exploration. This paper examines evaluation of the utility of digital health to address climate-related healthcare challenges and discusses the environmental sustainability of digital health. Method: vA perspective paper based on a narrative review of literature alongside expert perspectives from the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Working Group on Technology Assessment and Quality Development in Health Informatics and the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) Working Group for Assessment of Health Information Systems. Results: Digital health technologies hold immense potential to identify climate-related health challenges through predictive analytics, reduce the environmental impact of the healthcare sector through virtual care delivery, and equip healthcare systems to better respond to and navigate disaster scenarios. However, the increasing use of technologies raises concerns about their environmental impact due to high energy consumption and e-waste generation. It is, therefore, essential that their development, implementation and optimization is evaluated with a focus on environmental sustainability. Conclusion: To ensure the sustainable integration of digital health technologies, a holistic evaluation approach is necessary. Informaticians, healthcare providers, technology developers, and policymakers must collaborate to establish standardized frameworks that incorporate sustainability metrics across the entire lifespan of digital health initiatives. By doing so, digital health can have a positive impact on healthcare challenges while minimizing its environmental footprint.
SN - 0943-4747
SN - 2364-0502
ER -