In the article “Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery,” Balasubramanian (2022) proposes the idea of using drone technology or UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in medical industries. UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle piloted via remote control or onboard computers and previously intended for aerial and military use only. Today, drone technology is widely used in various fields of expertise and exhibits remarkable promise in clinical use. A drone commonly consists of cameras, GPS (Global Positioning System), an onboard computer with AI(Artificial Intelligence) and numerous types of sensors, allowing for better independency and efficient flights (Scott & Scott, 2017). The cameras installed are high-performance, zoom and gimbal Steadicam with tilt capabilities, which helps to produce more accurate, sharper images (Lutkevich, B. & Earls, A. R., 2021). The GPS and onboard computer with AI(Artificial Intelligence) helps the drone to determine its coordinates, improving its navigational accuracy. The sensors equipped on the drone, namely ultrasonic and collision avoidance sensors, help to prevent crashing down and avoid any potential obstacle. In addition, for a healthcare drone, various medical equipment related to first aid measures can be incorporated onto the drone itself, enhancing its life-saving capabilities, such as devices monitoring EKG activity, pulse, blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation and ultrasound (Rhythm Technologies, Inc., n.d.; Sotera Wireless, Inc., n.d.; Zhao et al. 2015). Therefore, healthcare industries should implement drone technology into their medical services due to its ability to reach remote areas, transportation of lab samples, specimens and organs that are time-restricted and delivery of portable medical instruments.
Until this day, there are still communities all around the world that only have limited or no access to medical services. “These communities exist in every country and include the territories of northern Norway, indigenous communities in Canada and Australia, and the Zambezi region of Namibia” (Amukele, Nov 2019). People from these communities often have to travel a huge distance just to receive basic healthcare needs. The reasons are most likely because these communities are living in remote areas that are inaccessible via traditional transportation, or the routes to any medical facilities in the area are blocked due to various issues like bad terrain, obstacles and roadblocks. “Drones enable improved response times and reduced transportation costs, particularly in remote and/or underserved environments. Conversely, the need for drones can also be true for urban areas, where congestion can be an impediment to emergency medical delivery” (Ling & Draghic, 2019). Thus, with the use of drone technology, medical service providers can reach their patients from remote locations, as drone technology is easy to use, it provides the ability to bypass obstacles and rough terrains without putting any risk to the service providers and able to travel quickly from one point to the other (Balasingam, 2017).
The idea of using drone technology in the transportation of lab specimens, blood and organs is not as far-fetched as we think. A San Francisco Bay-based tech firm, namely Zipline, started a drone delivery operation in Rwanda, trying to build up a distribution centre that oversees the administration of blood, plasma and platelets to various medical facilities within the region (Ling & Draghic, 2019). This idea is ingenious as drones can relieve the stresses caused by logistical issues in terms of having low medical supplies. Other than that, drones can help in delivering specimens from medical facilities to laboratories without causing any contamination to the specimens. “Fortunately, drones provide fast, cost-effective access to important diagnostic laboratory tests. Recent studies demonstrate that biofluid samples can be safely transported by drones without adversely affecting laboratory results” (Ling & Draghic, 2019). Furthermore, organs can be delivered via aerial drones to ensure the freshness of organs without damaging them, which will directly affect the chance of success for any transplant operations. “Interestingly, drones are not only used for delivering medical supplies but also human body parts like the kidney as well” (Nyaaba & Ayamga, 2021).
“First aid delivery by a drone in response to an emergency constitutes the most urgent medical aid delivered by a drone” (Nyaaba & Ayamga, 2021). It is possible to use aerial drones to deliver emergency medical aid like automated external defibrillators (AEDs) or first aid kits to urgent patients that are in life or death situations. That is because drones can get to the patients faster than traditional means like ambulances and paramedics, which can drastically improve the survivability of the patients. Therefore, drones are capable of providing swift delivery of medical devices to patients, for them to self-administer before the emergency response team arrives at the scene (Ling & Draghic, 2019; Sanfridsson et al., 2019; Boutilier et al., 2017).
However, despite the huge potential and various possibilities for the usage of drone technology in healthcare industries, there are a few restrictions on the use of drones that must be considered while implementing the technology. Firstly, depending on the laws and regulations of the region, the usage of drones can be illegal. “Regulatory limitations need to be addressed and updated before drones can be used in the medical field. These include legislations pertaining to predetermined flight corridors where drones need to fly ‘in the line of sight’. In medical emergencies, the fastest route needs to be employed for ensuring life-saving therapy, including ‘flying out of sight.’ As such, any deviation from this might adversely impact the health and survival rate of a patient” (Balasingam, 2017). Secondly, the storage and transportation of the specimens via drones must be rigorously and well regulated. Any mismanagement of aspects like the temperature of storage or the duration of transportation could severely affect drug efficacy and potentially contaminate the specimen. These compromises could lead to devastating results for the health and well-being of a patient (Balasingam, 2017). Thirdly, “The effectiveness of drones will depend on the individual aiming to deliver help to the emergency victim. This could be a layperson and not someone who can necessarily administer medical treatment. Such an arrangement might be a setback when compared with the more traditional medical transport methods and delivery of medical aid” (Balasingam, 2017).
In conclusion, the implementation and usage of drone technology in the healthcare industry is an idea that we cannot ignore due to its vast possibility and potential. Its benefits like the ability to reach remote areas, transportation of lab samples, specimens and organs that are time-restricted and delivery of portable medical instruments will bring the healthcare industry to the next level.
References
Scott, J., & Scott, C. (2017). Drone delivery models for Healthcare. Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2017). https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2017.399
Lutkevich, B., & Earls, A. R. (2021, December 7). What is a drone? - definition from whatis.com. IoT Agenda. Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/drone
Sotera Digital Health: Sotera Digital Health. Sotera Digital Health | Sotera Digital Health. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2022, from http://www.visimobile.com./
Uninterrupted ambulatory cardiac monitoring. Uninterrupted Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2022, from https://www.irhythmtech.com/
Zhao, F., Li, M., & Tsien, J. Z. (2015). Technology platforms for remote monitoring of vital signs in the new era of telemedicine. Expert Review of Medical Devices, 12(4), 411–429. https://doi.org/10.1586/17434440.2015.1050957
Amukele, T. (2019). Current state of drones in healthcare: Challenges and opportunities. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 4(2), 296–298. https://doi.org/10.1373/jalm.2019.030106
Balasingam, M. (2017). Drones in medicine - the rise of the machines. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 71(9). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.12989
Ling, G., & Draghic, N. (2019). Aerial drones for blood delivery. Transfusion, 59(S2), 1608–1611. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.15195
Boutilier, J. J., Brooks, S. C., Janmohamed, A., Byers, A., Buick, J. E., Zhan, C., Schoellig, A. P., Cheskes, S., Morrison, L. J., & Chan, T. C. (2017). Optimizing a drone network to deliver automated external defibrillators. Circulation, 135(25), 2454–2465. https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.116.026318
Sanfridsson, J., Sparrevik, J., Hollenberg, J., Nordberg, P., Djärv, T., Ringh, M., Svensson, L., Forsberg, S., Nord, A., Andersson-Hagiwara, M., & Claesson, A. (2019). Drone delivery of an automated external defibrillator – a mixed method simulation study of bystander experience. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-019-0622-6
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