Anarchitectures of health: Futures for the biomedical drone

Peckham, Robert; Sinha, Ria

doi:10.1080/17441692.2018.1546335

Cited by 30 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The use of drones is relatively new in the healthcare context, with the result that there has been little exploration and documentation of challenges or concerns for drone usage in healthcare settings [30]. The study on which the present article is based had as its objective: to understand the concerns, challenges and complexities of implementing drones for health projects as perceived by individuals involved in introducing and implementing these projects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Context-Specific Challenges, Opportunities, and Ethics of Drones for Healthcare Delivery in the Eyes of Program Managers and Field Staff: A Multi-Site Qualitative Study

Jeyabalan

Nouvet

Meier³

et al. 2020

Drones

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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have significant potential in the healthcare field. Ethical and practical concerns, challenges, and complexities of using drones for specific and diverse healthcare purposes have been minimally explored to date. This paper aims to document and advance awareness of diverse context-specific concerns, challenges, and complexities encountered by individuals working on the front lines of drones for health. It draws on original qualitative research and data from semi-structured interviews (N = 16) with drones for health program managers and field staff in nine countries. Directed thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews and identify key ethical and practical concerns, challenges, and complexities experienced by participants in their work with drones for health projects. While some concerns, challenges, and complexities described by study participants were more technical in nature, for example, those related to drone technology and approval processes, the majority were not. The bulk of context-specific concerns and challenges identified by participants, we propose, could be mitigated through community engagement initiatives.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Context-Specific Challenges, Opportunities, and Ethics of Drones for Healthcare Delivery in the Eyes of Program Managers and Field Staff: A Multi-Site Qualitative Study

Jeyabalan

Nouvet

Meier³

et al. 2020

Drones

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“…Drones are now considered to be "multi-tools" that bring extraordinary value across diverse applications [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. These niche robots have a unique and flexible platform, and they are capable of transforming the airspace and creating a market for urban air mobility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drones are currently employed by marketing agencies and digital technology companies; they are used in cinematography [3], rescue operations [4], monitoring weather patterns, agricultural expansion [5], deforestation [6], and delivering packages [7]. As we enter the robotic era, opportunities for drones and robotic systems are growing exponentially [8]. US investment into drone technology will reach $506 million in 2019 and likely to create $82 billion in commercial activities during the next ten years [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The National Health Service, NHS, has recently announced their involvement in the UK's first UAV pilot project [10]. The first successful case of drone use, the "Uber for Blood" service [8], was established by Zipline and the United Parcel Service, who delivered blood to over 20 remote regions in Rwanda, Africa where there is a shortage of blood types [7]. Transporting organs such as kidneys [11] has sparked excitement in the medical world, whereby companies such as EHang have started to drone deliver transplant organs in less than 30 min, avoiding the delays of conventional transport.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Urban air mobility is an attractive platform with the ability to increase the accessibility and ondemand availability of medicines [8]. Drone delivery can overcome the logistical challenges experienced by conventional transport methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Evaluation of the Drone Delivery of Adrenaline Auto-Injectors for Anaphylaxis: Pharmacists’ Perceptions, Acceptance, and Concerns

Beck

Bui

Davies

et al. 2020

Drones

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Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening condition where delays in medical treatment can be fatal. Such situations would benefit from the drone delivery of an adrenaline auto-injector such as EpiPen®. This study evaluates the potential risk, reward, and impact of drone transportation on the stability of adrenaline during episodes of anaphylaxis. Further, this study examines pharmacists’ perceptions on drone delivery—pharmacists approved the use of drones to deliver EpiPen® during emergencies but had concerns with drone safety and supply chain security. Laboratory simulated onboard drone conditions reflected typical missions. In these experiments, in vitro model and pharmaceutical equivalent formulations were subjected independently to 30 min vibrations at 5, 8.43, and 13.33 Hz, and temperature storage at 4, 25, 40, and 65 °C for 0, 0.5, 3, and 24 h. The chiral composition (an indicator of chemical purity that relates to molecular structure) and concentration of these adrenaline formulations were determined using ultraviolet (UV) and circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD). Adrenaline intrinsic stability was also explored by edge-of-failure experimentation to signpost the uppermost limits for safe transportation. During drone flight with EpiPen®, the temperature and vibration g-force were 10.7 °C and 1.8 g, respectively. No adverse impact on adrenaline was observed during drone flight and laboratory-simulated conditions shown by conformation to the British Pharmacopeia standards (p > 0.05 for CD and UV). This study showed that drone delivery of EpiPen® is feasible. There are more than 15,000 community pharmacies and ≈9000 GP surgeries spanning the UK, which are likely to provide achievable ranges and distances for the direct drone delivery of EpiPen®. The authors recommend that when designing future missions, in addition to medicine stability testing that models the stresses imposed by drone flight, one must conduct a perceptions survey on the relevant group of medical professionals, because their insights, acceptance, and concerns are extremely valuable for the design and evaluation of the mission.

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