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Healthcare technology can be a powerful tool in helping communities adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and the spread of diseases are just a few of the consequences of a changing climate, many of which pose significant health risks as noted in the figure below. In addition, the healthcare sector, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, equipment, distribution, facilities, and managed healthcare, is estimated to be responsible for 5% of the world’s carbon emissions.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/effects/default.htm

Today, healthcare technology is enabling strategies that help improve the well-being of patients to be more effective and accessible than ever before, from advances in telemedicine to predictive analysis, wearable health technologies, and even new healthcare facilities.

Dr. Paolo Bonato is an active member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology. Posted at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, MA, USA, Dr. Bonato’s research work is focused on the development of rehabilitation technologies with special emphasis on wearable technology and robotics.

Wearable health technology, including smartwatches and fitness trackers, not only helps individuals monitor their health but also collects valuable data that can be used to assess environmental conditions. For example, wearable devices can track air quality, temperature, and UV radiation levels. This data contributes to a broader understanding of how local environments are changing. Researchers, like Dr. Bonato, can use this information to develop strategies to protect vulnerable populations from climate-related health risks. “My work is focused on technology for rehabilitation applications with emphasis on remote monitoring and services that we can deliver from in-patient to home environments,” he says.

Healthcare technology, specifically predictive analytics ^{[ 1 ]}, plays a crucial role in identifying and addressing threats from spreading diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and the COVID-19 virus. Advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms ^{[ 2 ]} can predict disease outbreaks ^{[ 3 ]}. By providing early warnings, healthcare systems can mobilize resources, deploy preventive measures, and treat affected individuals promptly, preventing the rapid spread of diseases.

Dr. Bonato points to the article “Can mHealth Technology Help Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic?” where the authors reviewed how mobile health (mHealth) technologies can be used in monitoring and mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic ^{[ 4 ]}. In their paper “Patterns of Social Vulnerability – An Interactive Dashboard to Explore Risks to Public Health on the US County Level,” the authors studied social vulnerabilities suggesting certain patterns into which populations can be grouped. They demonstrated their methodology using COVID-19 death rate as the hazard and showed that the patterns identified have high predictive capabilities of the pandemic’s local impact ^{[ 5 ]}.

Remote healthcare delivery system, or telemedicine, has proven to be an influence in reducing carbon emissions associated with traditional healthcare practices by reducing the need for unnecessary travel to medical facilities
^{[ 6 ],[ 7 ]}. Telemedicine also enhances healthcare accessibility in remote areas, making it an essential tool for those in rural locations.

Remote monitoring devices, such as portable ultrasound machines and telemedicine platforms, enable healthcare providers to deliver care in disaster-stricken areas where immediate medical attention is vital. Additionally, drones equipped with medical supplies and diagnostic tools can reach remote or disaster-affected regions quickly. These technological innovations are improving the effectiveness of disaster relief efforts ^{[ 8 ]}.

Healthcare facilities are notorious for their high energy consumption and carbon emissions. To address this issue, the healthcare sector is now adopting green technologies to reduce its environmental impact ^{[ 9 ]}. Solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, sustainable building materials and managing waste ^{[ 10 ], [ 11 ]}, are just a few examples of how healthcare facilities are becoming more eco-friendly. When constructing the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, architects considered climate change in building the state-of-the-art facility. For example, Spaulding’s combined heat and power plant provides power for the hospital and the local utility during peak periods and heats the hospital’s water from the waste heat captured in the cogeneration process. Additionally, the hospital’s green roof helps insulate the building and absorb stormwater runoff.

Dr. Bonato is proud of his IEEE work and the professional association. “It’s a fabulous professional society to exchange ideas with colleagues from across the world,” he says. “It is wonderful for me to be able to make introductions between young and old colleagues through my IEEE network. It is absolutely irreplaceable.”