Exploratory Approach to Incorporating Carbon Footprint in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Modelling: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Health Interventions in the United Kingdom

Background

Health interventions contribute to the production of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, reducing carbon footprint is essential in supporting the UK National Health Service (NHS) pathway to net zero. This study explores the approach in which carbon footprint can be included when applying Health Technology Assessment (HTA) modelling using obesity intervention in the United Kingdom (UK) as a case study.

Methods

Using decision analytic modelling, we conducted an HTA incorporating the impacts of obesity-related treatment decisions on UK carbon emissions. A cohort Markov model was used to track the emissions of the UK population after receiving one of two obesity treatments: semaglutide and bariatric surgery.

Results

This study introduced two new carbon measurement tools that may be useful for future policymaking, incremental carbon footprint effectiveness ratio (ICFER) and incremental carbon footprint cost ratio (ICFCR), which made it possible to assess the emission impacts of proposed health policies. Using the obesity intervention case study, we found that both treatments have an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of < £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained. This is below the UK threshold, indicating that these are cost-effective treatments for obesity, but could increase the NHS carbon footprint. However, it could reduce the overall UK societal carbon footprint by reducing the number of people with obesity. The ICFCR shows a reduction of 1.13–4.51 kgCO₂e (kilogram of carbon dioxide equivalent) for every pound spent on obesity treatment.

Conclusion

This study illustrates a case study for estimating the effect of health policies on carbon emissions and provides a quantitative measure for obesity-related treatment decisions.