The article “Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery” by Balasubramanian (Jan 2022), suggests how drones can help to improve healthcare. A drone is an unmanned aircraft that can be controlled remotely or fly autonomously using flight plan software. It can do many things without risking the pilot's life and is often seen in aerial and military use. Nowadays, drones are widely available and play many essential roles in modern society. Among its usage, drones can be used for search and rescue, videography, and delivery services. In terms of features, drones consist of various cameras, navigation systems, artificial intelligence, and sensors. The cameras installed on the drones can have high-performance, zoom, gimbal Steadicam, and tilt capabilities. A navigation system such as GPS can help the user or artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate the drone to its destination and locate it when any accident should have happened. Drones can also be equipped with various sensors such as ultrasonic, laser, or lidar distance sensors, stabilization, and orientation sensors to prevent the drone from crashing. With the help of the features embedded in the drones, they can travel a long distance efficiently, quickly, and accurately. (Ben) The drones' capabilities are enormous, leading innovators to implement them in the healthcare department in China. Drones can help greatly improve healthcare capabilities by making healthcare widely accessible to people with mobility difficulties and people who live in rural areas, preventing viruses from spreading such as during Covid-19, and saving people's lives quickly.
Due to ‘Covid-19, the aging population, and the increasing shortage of skilled workers ‘ the delivery of medical services and supplies for people posed a great challenge for the local authorities. (Franziska, Nicole, Martin, Denny & Patrick, April 2022) In the year 2019, there is a huge outburst of the Coronavirus disease which affected many people, and economies worldwide and were declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 30 January 2020. Covid-19 is a contagious airborne virus that originated in Wuhan, China. According to the World Health Organization (2022), the number of confirmed cases is up to 613 million, and the confirmed deaths are up to 6.5 million. Since the start of the outbreak, at least 115 thousand health and care workers died from Covid-19 around the world ’.(Tom, 2021) People were afraid to leave their houses as they were afraid of getting infected by the virus which will also spread to their loved ones. Most importantly, people are afraid to seek medical attention such as vaccination from clinics and hospitals as covid-19 patients might be among them. To prevent the virus from spreading, drones can be used for contactless delivery.
As an intrinsic right of all citizens, accessibility is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development. People living in rural areas face significant challenges due to the distance between their communities and the nearest health facility, such as a health center or district hospital. (Rohana,2022) During pandemics, people who are infected with Covid-19 may not be aware and they remain contagious for up to 20 days while infecting others. When there is an outburst, it is very difficult for the local authorities to prevent the spread. ) A country such as China has a high rural population of 529 million which is 37.49% of the whole population in the year 2021 and will greatly affect the economy of the country. (Macrotrends, 2022)This shows that rural areas are at higher risk of pandemics because of the lack of medical services, less awareness of health precautions, and a lower economic standard of living compared to those in urban areas. (Zhengxu, 2022)
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming the lives of an estimated 17.9 million people each year. CVDs are a group of heart and blood vessel disorders that include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and others. Heart attacks and strokes account for more than four out of every five CVD deaths, and one-third of these deaths occur in people under the age of 70. (World Health Organization) According to Sai Balasubramanian (Jan 2022), a 71-year-old man who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was saved with the help of the quick delivery of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) by a drone.
However, despite the advantages that the drone has in improving the quality of healthcare, there are also some limitations to its performance. A country such as Singapore has a restriction on drones, such as a permit needed to fly if the drone weighs more than 7 kilograms (15 pounds) or is flown above 60 meters (200 feet). (CAAS, 2022) It is also an invasion of privacy because most drone is equipped with a camera. There is also a concern about the battery of the drone when carrying a heavier load.
In conclusion, drones in healthcare can help to solve the shortage of manpower, help to deliver medication and also help to save lives due to pandemics. Drones are not living things, less likely to be carrying any type of virus, can travel far into rural areas, and are able to carry medical supplies such as AED and vaccines to save lives.
References
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). (2022, July 21). Drone Laws in Singapore [Updated July 21, 2022]. Drone Laws. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://drone-laws.com/drone-laws-in-singapore/
Cardiovascular diseases. (n.d.). World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1
China Healthcare Spending 2000-2022 | MacroTrends. (n.d.). Macrotrends. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/CHN/china/healthcare-spending
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. (n.d.). World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Ben, Lutkevich. (n.d.). What is a Drone? - Definition from WhatIs.com. TechTarget. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/drone
Rohana Sham. (2022, April 27). Drone Usage for Medicine and Vaccine Delivery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Attitude of Health Care Workers in Rural Medical Centres. MDPI. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/5/109/htm
Sai Balasubramanian. (2022, January 9). Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery. Forbes. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2022/01/09/drones-may-become-the-next-big-thing-in-healthcare-delivery/?sh=510fe7731e9b
Zhengxu,Zhou. (2022, January 11). Community environment and physical activity influence on rural residents’ mental health in the COVID-19 containment. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09603123.2022.2029828?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Franziska Stephan, Nicole Reinsperger, Martin Grünthal, Denny Paulicke, & Patrick Jahn. (2022, April 28). Human drone interaction in delivery of medical supplies: A scoping review of experimental studies. PLOS. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0267664
Tom, de Castella. (2021, May 27). WHO says 'at least' 115000 health workers have now died from Covid-19. Nursing Times. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/coronavirus/who-says-at-least-115000-health-workers-have-now-died-from-covid-19-27-05-2021/
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