Abstract
Background
Health care inequity in remote and rural Indigenous communities often involves difficulty accessing health care services and supplies. Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, or drones, offer a potentially cost-effective method for reducing inequity by removing geographic barriers, increasing timeliness, and improving accessibility of supplies, equipment, and remote care.
Methods
We assessed the feasibility of drones for delivery of supplies, medical equipment, and medical treatment across multiple platforms, including drone fleet development and testing; payload system integration (custom fixed-mount, winch, and parachute); and medical delivery simulations (COVID-19 test kit delivery and return, delivery of personal protective equipment, and remote ultrasound delivery and testing).
Results
Drone operational development has led to a finalized, scalable fleet of small to large drones with functional standard operating procedures across a range of scenarios, and custom payload systems including a fixed-mount, winch-based and parachute-based system. Simulation scenarios were successful, with COVID-19 test swabs returned to the lab with no signal degradation and a remote ultrasound successfully delivered and remotely guided in the field.
Discussion/Conclusions
Drone-based medical delivery models offer an innovative approach to addressing longstanding issues of health care access and equity and are particularly relevant in the context of SARS-CoV-2.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Remotely piloted aircraft systems, Drones, Health care access, Remote ultrasound, 【초록키워드】 Treatment, Personal protective equipment, Health care, feasibility, equipment, Simulation, Health, Community, Swab, Degradation, Care, aircraft, equity, COVID-19 test, offer, lab, approach, Result, functional, reducing, returned, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 diagnostic, Community, First Nation,