Distance spanning solutions in health care and care: Climate impacts and sustainability synergies

摘要

Distance spanning solutions in healthcare and social care are rapidly increasing in all the Nordic countries. Healthcare and care are offered in people’s homes based on their own needs. Digitalisation and remote service solutions are important prerequisites for maintaining the quality of the Nordic welfare model. But what are the sustainability impacts of these services? The Nordic region has set the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. Distance spanning solutions in Nordic health care and care are closely aligned with this vision and each strategic priority. Digital solutions in health care and care represent a promising avenue for improving service accessibility for citizens and enhancing sustainability. Digitalisation is viewed as one way of mitigating the negative environmental impacts of health care and care production. However, practical tools are needed in order to comprehensively assess the impacts of digitalisation in this field. The purpose of this publication is to enhance understanding of the implications of digitalised health care and care on the different dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report consists of two parts. Part 1, Medicine robot services in health care and care: Contribution to the green transition introduces a novel methodology to assess the environmental – especially the climate impacts and social impacts of digital healthcare and care services. Part 2, Sustainability in digital health care: A new tool for evaluating impacts aims to broaden the perspective on the potential impacts of digitalisation in the Nordic welfare sector, from a narrow focus on climate impacts and carbon footprints to a broader focus that includes social, economic and other environmental dimensions.