Green Digital Health Tool

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How to use this site

This tool shows you the questions that will need to be answered to implement and maintain a sustainable digital health system. You probably won't be able to answer all the questions by yourself, so identify the people that have the knowledge and skills on the different areas covered by this tool and ask them the questions. They might be people in other departments or even some of the suppliers used by your organisation.

Beside the questions you will sometimes see an icon. Clicking on them will provide extra information. Below is a brief explanation of what each icon means:

Why should you ask this questionWhy should you ask this question?


Extra information and resourcesRead more about this subject


ideas that you could trySuggest actions to be taken next

3. Sustainability: Workforce and Regulations

ideas that you could try You may need to involve individuals in the leadership team to best address the questions in this section. Members of an organisation’s leadership team play a pivotal role in driving environmental sustainability within the organisation: They must understand its importance and take proactive steps to integrate it into the strategic vision and operational practices.

If your digital health service needs to align with a centrally (for example government) planned healthcare framework, the best way to get environmental sustainability considerations included, if they are not already, may be to lobby those with overall responsibility for health and the environment. National commitments to addressing climate change may make those lobbied increasingly receptive to including environmental sustainability considerations.

Extra information and resourcesUseful links include:

Note: guidelines and regulation vary significantly by geography and are changing rapidly. Establish what is currently required for your own organization.

We encourage your organization to develop an environmental policy or charter that has been verified by a third party.

Why should you ask this question Having someone within an organisation with sustainability as their core agenda is important so they can champion decisions based on reducing environmental impacts. They can also ensure that sustainability goals and initiatives align with the organisation's overall strategic objectives and help integrate sustainability considerations into business strategy, operations, and decision-making processes. Depending on your role, the following questions may be applicable directly to you, or they may need to be posed to senior colleagues:
  • Has your organisation appointed somebody to champion sustainability issues?
  • Does the sustainability expert have digital expertise? If not, has someone in the digital technology team been identified to be responsible for this contribution to sustainability?

Why should you ask this question Supporting staff in sustainability involves providing resources, training, incentives, and recognition. The end goal is to make sustainability 'the norm'. Depending on your role in your organisation, the following questions may be applicable directly to you, or they may need to be posed to senior colleagues.
  • Will the individuals and teams deploying and supporting the digital health system be sufficiently trained from a sustainability perspective? Will they be provided with training materials and workshops that are maintained over time to reflect new policies and practices arising?
  • Will these individuals and teams be incentivised to make progress toward the goals outlined in their training, including time for sustainability activities, recognition for completion, and so on?