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Survey on Applications of Emergency Medical Drones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2023

Soon-Joo Wang
Affiliation:
Hallym University, Hwaseong, Korea, Republic of
In Byung Kim
Affiliation:
Myongji Hospital, Goyang, Korea, Republic of
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Abstract

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Introduction:

Traditionally, helicopters or special types of airplanes have been used to transport emergency patients when an aeromedical transport is necessary. However, despite its excellent utility, the cost of each flight is relatively expensive and has many limitations. So as an alternative to traditional aircrafts, there has been a movement to overcome the limitations of traditional air transport through the development and application of emergency medical drones. In this study, practical applications of emergency medical drones were investigated.

Method:

As a first step, through literature and internet searches, the current state of development, field of use, results, and problems of emergency medical drones were investigated. Based on this first investigation, a second Delphi survey of experts was conducted to investigate the appropriate fields for the use of emergency medical drones and the expected future applications.

Results:

Currently, emergency patient support drones are being used to transport first aid equipment including an automatic external defibrillator, manage emergency patient status and on-site remote evaluation, and transport human organs during organ transplantation. Emergency medical drones for emergency patients are being developed, including systems that manage the patient's condition by applying additional advanced technologies.

Conclusion:

Emergency medical drones were classified into drones for transporting emergency patients and drones for emergency medical support according to whether emergency patients were on board. Drones for emergency patient support were being used to transport first aid equipment, manage emergency patient status and on-site remote evaluation, and transport organs during organ transplantation. The trend of air transport in the future is expected to change to a futuristic means of transportation in the form of emergency medical drones.

Type
Lightning and Oral Presentations
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine