Do remote clinical trials offer carbon savings while maintaining research quality? Experiences from the Eczema Bathing Study

A really interesting paper from the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology in Nottingham. In this project they calculated the carbon footprint of the Eczema Bathing Study, a fully remote eczema trial, and found it had a lower carbon footprint in comparison to other clinical trials. The lower carbon footprint was likely due to online recruitment, absence of patient travel, low staff travel and shorter trial duration (although they do note the challenges of direct comparison of clinical trials).  

The total carbon footprint of the trial was 14 tonnes of CO2e (31.96kgCO2e per recruited participant). The largest hotspots fell within 'Clinical Trial Unit' emissions; the trial team commuting and energy consumption (heating and electricity) for office and home working. The paper also highlights low carbon alternatives in trial design and deliveries such as types of meeting and website design.

This paper is the first fully remote or dermatology trial that has been carbon footprinted and provides useful suggestions to mitigate the environmental impact of future trial designs.