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@MarySHADE
MarySHADE committed Oct 5, 2024
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9 changes: 4 additions & 5 deletions aboutVCS.html
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Expand Up @@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ <h1>Green Digital Health Tool</h1>
<nav class="row col-12">
<ul>
<li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="info.html">Information &amp; References</a></li>
<li><a href="thesaurus.html">Theasurus</a></li>
<li><a href="thesaurus.html">Thesaurus</a></li>
<li><a href="howto.html">How to use this tool</a></li>
</ul>
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Expand All @@ -36,9 +35,9 @@ <h1>Green Digital Health Tool</h1>
<div class="core col-10">
<h2>Why is it important to consider environmental issues in Digital Health?</h2>
<p>Digital technologies and infrastructure have environmental impacts associated with the energy needed to collect, store, process, and analyse data. While it is extremely difficult to quantify, estimates suggest that the digital sector accounts for between 2.1-3.9% of global greenhouse emissions (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2021.100340" target="_blank">Freitag 2021</a>). The digital sector also has environmental impacts associated with the mining of natural resources needed to build digital technologies and infrastructure; the use of other resources, such as water, to provide systems to cool digital servers during use, and the disposal of electronic/hardware waste. It is important that we mitigate these environmental impacts as much as possible, not only to protect the environment, but also as a commitment to health, since environmental impacts adversely affect health, both directly and indirectly.</p>
<p>There is evidence that digital health has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of healthcare in certain scenarios, for example where virtual care is expected to simply “replace” in person care. However, there are multiple caveats around this, and many scenarios in which digital health is not expected to be a “replacement”. It is therefore important to consider the environmental impacts of any digital health service.</p>
<p>This is not to say that environmental concerns should always be the primary criterion when deciding whether to go with a Digital Health Service. In lower to middle income countries where health coverage may be limited, the fact that a virtual care service is not replacing an in person service should not mean it should not go ahead - it may be the only way of providing healthcare. Even if it is complementing an existing service, transport costs may relatively be much greater than in higher income countries, and this might put the existing in person service out of reach of many people. Furthermore a virtual care service may be a more resilient method of providing care in a region particularly exposed to climate related challenges such as flooding or extreme heat, again more typically found in LMIcs. Ultimately the balance of economic, human and environmental health, and social justice, will play out differently in every place and time and this tool is not recommending a one size fits all approach.</p>
<p>Finally we should acknowledge that digital technology can be very useful in adapting to climate change. It can, for example, be used to create early warning systems for flooding or extreme heat. Such systems can dramatically reduce the impact of such extreme events on health services. It can also make health initiatives much more resilient to the impacts of climate change, although this does require advance planning. For example a virtual care service may be much easier to keep running in the event of flooding than a conventional health service where patients had to travel to clinics just to be assessed.</p>
<p>There is evidence that digital health systems have the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of healthcare in certain scenarios, for example when used in the clinical setting to “replace” in person care. However, there are multiple caveats around this, and many scenarios may lead to digital health systems not reducing environmental burdens as much as anticipated. It is therefore important to consider the environmental impacts of digital health systems.</p>
<p>This does not take away the importance of the need for digital health systems to meet health needs. This is particularly the case in low and middle income countries where health coverage may be limited, and digitalisation may be the only way to meet unmet health needs – not only because of poor infrastructure and lack of healthcare facilities in remote locations, but also because transport costs to reach healthcare facilities may be prohibitive. Digital health systems also offer a way for healthcare systems to adapt and become more resilient to adverse environmental events, particularly in regions exposed to climate related challenges such as flooding. They can also be used to create early warning systems for flooding or extreme heat.</p>
<p>Ultimately balancing economic, human and environmental health, and social justice, will play out differently in every place and time and this tool is not recommending a one size fits all approach. Rather, it is highlighting the questions that need to be answered when considering the environmental sustainability of digital health systems, and the context against which those answers should be considered.</p>
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14 changes: 7 additions & 7 deletions cloud_p_newVCS.html
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Expand Up @@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ <h1>Green Digital Health Tool</h1>
<img src="media/Paris DE colour.png" alt="PARIS-DE logo" style="height:70px; align:right;"></a></div>
</header>
<nav class="row col-12">
<h6 class="breadcrumb">You are at the cloud hosting page in planning a Digital Health Service</h6>
<h6 class="breadcrumb">You are at the cloud hosting page in planning a digital health system</h6>
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Expand All @@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ <h4>How to use this site</h4>

<div class="core col-8">
<div class="row"><div class="col-11"><h2>Cloud Hosting </h2></div>
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop1()"><img src="media/info.png" alt="Extra information and resources" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop1">For context you may want to refer back to this <a href="https://learn.greensoftware.foundation/" target="_blank">short learning module</a> from the Green Software Foundation, or this discussion of <a href="https://github.com/climateaction-tech/grid-aware-software" target="_blank">grid aware software</a> These resources provide information about the whole ecosystem around green software, including data centres and the energy grid. In addition the <a href="https://cedaci-compass.weloop.org/">Compass tool</a>, which is designed primarily for technicians in the data centre industry, gives guidance on choosing options for procurement, refurbishment and disposal of servers that are best aligned with the <a href="thesaurus.html#circ_eco" target="_blank">circular economy</a>.
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop1()"><img src="media/idea.png" alt="ideas that you could try" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop1">If you are not able to answer these questions yourself, ask your potential suppliers the questions below and assess their answers using the explanatory information provided, before deciding whether to use them.<p></p>For context you may want to refer back to this <a href="https://learn.greensoftware.foundation/" target="_blank">short learning module</a> from the Green Software Foundation, or this discussion of <a href="https://github.com/climateaction-tech/grid-aware-software" target="_blank">grid aware software</a> These resources provide information about the whole ecosystem around green software, including data centres and the energy grid. <p></p>In addition the <a href="https://cedaci-compass.weloop.org/">Compass tool</a>, which is designed primarily for technicians in the data centre industry, gives guidance on choosing options for procurement, refurbishment and disposal of servers that are best aligned with the <a href="thesaurus.html#circ_eco" target="_blank">circular economy</a>.
</span></div>
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Expand All @@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ <h4>How to use this site</h4>
</h4>
</label>
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop3()"><img src="media/why.png" alt="Why should you ask this question" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop3">Temporal shifting means making best use of periods when renewables are powering the grid - so maximizing the data processing undertaken during these times. Spatial shifting means allowing your processing to run at a data centre in a different location when the energy supply to the primary data centre is low in renewables. Clearly the degree to which you can fine-tune a Digital Health system may be limited – data processing to provide monitoring, for example, may need to be happening constantly. But there may be considerable flexibility around other processing, such as reporting and data maintenance tasks.</span></div>
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop3">Temporal shifting means making best use of periods when renewables are powering the grid - so maximizing the data processing undertaken during these times. <p></p>Spatial shifting means allowing your processing to run at a data centre in a different location when the energy supply to the primary data centre is low in renewables. <p></p>Clearly the degree to which you can fine-tune a Digital Health system may be limited – data processing to provide monitoring, for example, may need to be happening constantly. But there may be considerable flexibility around other processing, such as reporting and data maintenance tasks.</span></div>
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<textarea id="a1-2-1-2" name="a1-2-1-2" rows="4" cols="100"></textarea>
Expand All @@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ <h4>How to use this site</h4>
<label for="a1-2-1-4" class="col-11"><h4>Are the PUE, CUE, and WUE sustainability metrics (measuring Power, Carbon, and Water Usage Efficiency respectively), available for the data centre? What are the values for these?
</h4></label>
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop5()"><img src="media/why.png" alt="Why should you ask this question" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop5">A PUE of 1 is the ideal as it would indicate that all the power supplied to a data centre was used for the computing equipment - so no energy was necessary for things like lighting or cooling. A CUE of 0 is ideal as it would indicate that the data centre operated entirely on carbon free energy sources. A WUE of 0 is ideal as it would indicate that the data centre consumed no water whilst providing its data storage and processing services. Many other useful <a href="https://www.sunbirddcim.com/infographic/top-30-data-center-sustainability-metrics" target="_blank">data centre sustainability metrics</a> are available.
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop5">A PUE of 1 is the ideal as it would indicate that all the power supplied to a data centre was used for the computing equipment - so no energy was necessary for things like lighting or cooling. <p></p>A CUE of 0 is ideal as it would indicate that the data centre operated entirely on carbon free energy sources. <p></p>A WUE of 0 is ideal as it would indicate that the data centre consumed no water whilst providing its data storage and processing services. <p></p>Many other useful <a href="https://www.sunbirddcim.com/infographic/top-30-data-center-sustainability-metrics" target="_blank">data centre sustainability metrics</a> are available.
</span></div></div>
<div class="row">
<textarea id="a1-2-1-4" name="a1-2-1-4" rows="4" cols="100"></textarea>
Expand All @@ -137,9 +137,9 @@ <h4>How to use this site</h4>
</div>
<p></p>
<div class="row">
<label for="a1-2-1-6" class="col-11"><h4>Is there a plan for the data centre to be sustainably <a href="https://www.simslifecycle.com/resources/white-paper-data-center/" target="_blank">decommissioned </a> if/when it comes to its end of life?</h4></label>
<label for="a1-2-1-6" class="col-11"><h4>What is the plan for the data centre to be sustainably <a href="https://www.simslifecycle.com/resources/white-paper-data-center/" target="_blank">decommissioned </a> if/when it comes to its end of life?</h4></label>
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop7()"><img src="media/why.png" alt="Why should you ask this question" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop7">The proliferation, scale, and rate of technological evolution and environmental impacts of data centres are making these increasingly important questions. </span></div></div>
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop7">The proliferation, scale, and rate of technological evolution and environmental impacts of data centres are making this an increasingly important question. </span></div></div>
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<textarea id="a1-2-1-6" name="a1-2-1-6" rows="4" cols="100"></textarea>
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10 changes: 5 additions & 5 deletions devices_p_newVCS.html
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Expand Up @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ <h1>Green Digital Health Tool</h1>
<img src="media/Paris DE colour.png" alt="PARIS-DE logo" style="height:70px; align:right;"></a></div>
</header>
<nav class="row col-12">
<h6 class="breadcrumb">You are at the device procurement page in planning a Digital Health Service</h6>
<h6 class="breadcrumb">You are at the devices page in planning a digital health system</h6>
</nav>

<div class="main row col-12">
Expand All @@ -65,11 +65,11 @@ <h4>How to use this site</h4>
</div>
<form>
<div class="row">
<label for="a1-2-3-1" class="col-11"><h4>Will your solution require new devices for patients and health care professionals?</h4>
<label for="a1-2-3-1" class="col-11"><h4>Will your solution require new devices for patients and / or health care professionals?</h4>
</label>
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop2()"><img src="media/why.png" alt="Why should you ask this question" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop2">Using existing devices minimizes e-waste. Try and procure repurposed devices. Where possible, use existing devices. However, if a user’s own device, typically their phone, is, for example, used to perform monitoring tasks that form part of a virtual care system, then the user may have to pay for this themselves. This is because it may be difficult to separate out the element of their ongoing phone costs that are attributable to the virtual care service. Having users cover the costs themselves raises equity issues.
Furthermore, existing devices may not support security regulations: regulations around the security of connected devices and networks are increasing. All components of your Digital Health system will need to comply with the regulations in place in your area.</span></div>
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop2">Using existing devices minimizes e-waste. Try and procure repurposed devices and where possible, use existing devices. <p></p>However, if a user’s own device, typically their phone, is, for example, used to perform monitoring tasks that form part of a digital health system, then the user may have to pay for this themselves. This is because it may be difficult to separate out the element of their ongoing phone costs that are attributable to the digital health system. Having users cover the costs themselves raises equity issues.
<p></p>Furthermore, existing devices may not support security regulations: regulations around the security of connected devices and networks are increasing. All components of your digital health system will need to comply with the regulations in place in your area.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="row" >
<textarea id="a1-2-3-1" name="a1-2-3-1" rows="4" cols="100"></textarea>
Expand All @@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ <h4>How to use this site</h4>
<label for="a1-2-3-2" class="col-11"><h4>Do you have a system in place for minimising the environmental impacts of the devices you are procuring?</h4>
</label>
<div class="popup col-1" onclick="pop3()"><img src="media/idea.png" alt="ideas that you could try" class="icon" style="height: 35px;">
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop3">If you are procuring your Digital Health System as an ongoing managed service, or if your service provider is responsible for maintaining your devices, put these questions to your service provider.</span></div>
<span class="popuptext" id="newVCS-pop3">If you are procuring your digital health system as an ongoing managed service, or if your service provider is responsible for maintaining your devices, put this question, and the following questions on this page, to your service provider.</span></div>
</div>
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<textarea id="a1-2-3-2" name="a1-2-3-2" rows="4" cols="100"></textarea>
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