Possibilities of Using UAVs in Pre-Hospital Security for Medical Emergencies

Abstract

The term unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was post-applied in the 1980s to describe remotely piloted multi-purpose, unmanned, autonomous aircraft. The terms unmanned aircraft systems with data terminal connectivity (UAS) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPV, RPAS—military systems) are also used. This review aims to analyze the feasibility of using UAVs to support emergency medical systems in the supply and urgent care ranges. The implementation of drones in the medical security system requires proper planning of service cooperation, division of the area into sectors, assessment of potential risks and opportunities, and legal framework for the application. A systematic literature search was conducted to assess the applicability based on published scientific papers on possible medical drone applications in the field of urgent mode. The widespread applications of UAVs in healthcare are concerned with logistics, scope, and transportability, with framework legal constraints to effectively exploit opportunities for improving population health, particularly for costly critical situations.

Risks of Drone Use in Light of Literature Studies

“…Construction, ease of implementation, efficiency, safety, effectiveness, and the ability to transport items or collect data cause drones to be considered a promising technology for search and rescue missions [ 143 , 144 , 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 , 149 , 150 ], support for ground transport in dire situations [ 151 , 152 , 153 ], or disaster respond and recovery [ 143 , 144 , 146 , 154 , 155 , 156 ]. Drones can be used for the following purposes: Detection of chemical substances [ 155 ]; Disaster victim identification [ 150 ]; Firefighting operations [ 157 , 158 ]; Transport of medical products [ 151 , 159 , 160 ]; Restoring radio communication [ 149 ]; Support for police patrols [ 161 ]; Responding to the gestures of a person participating in a response mission [ 162 ]; Surveillance in areas with diverse radiation levels [ 163 ]; Detecting anomalies in pollution [ 113 ]. …”

Technological Advancements and Elucidation Gadgets for Healthcare Applications: An Exhaustive Methodological Review-Part-II (Robotics, Drones, 3D-Printing, Internet of Things, Virtual/Augmented and Mixed Reality)

“…Further strong encryption and meticulous product evaluations are needed to prevent the hijacking of drones. Governments should promote installations of more drone centres for immediate replacement and (or) the charging of batteries and also ensure the formulation of drones' utility regulations, as well as encourage aviation authorities to grant legal permissions for drone agencies [20,22,23,25,[64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][100][101][102][103][104][105][127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139][140][175][176][177][178][179][180].…”

“…objects [69][70][71], 3D modelling of foetal heart defects [72], and glasses for the visually impaired [73]. Envision TEC and Denmark-based Widex [74] developed 3D-processed Individual Shells for Hearing Aids and Poland Institute of Pathology used 3D modelling for teaching purposes [75].…”

Secure Proxy Re-Encryption Protocol for FANETs Resistant to Chosen-Ciphertext Attacks

“…Ref. [7] is a review paper to discuss the security protocols for medical information using UAVs. It aimed to analyze the applicability of UAVs to support emergency medical systems in the areas of delivery and emergency urgent care.…”