Summary Reader Response - Healthcare Drones (Draft 3)

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The article “Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery”, written by Balasubramaniam (2022), introduces the public to drone technology which innovators have embraced positively in another crucial application relating to the modern healthcare sector. Balasubramaniam reported that drones had given the healthcare sector the golden opportunity to extend its care to patients living remotely by profoundly using drones attached with cameras for telehealth and virtual care as anticipated by researchers from the University of Cincinnati. Moreover, Balasubramaniam states how drones are being globally deployed to deliver healthcare stockpiles (i.e., Covid-19 vaccines). Such delivery moves are made possible with drones having a waterproof box the size of small first-aid kits. A study by the European Heart Journal (2021) also explored the use of drones to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) which help save outpatients suffering cardiac arrest. The study found that drones carrying AEDs have more successful delivery rates in attending emergencies than emergency medical services. With small rotary-wings and lithium battery features, healthcare drones are the key to providing more efficient life-saving operations to patients living remotely and are considered to be more eco-friendly and cost-effective technology compared to emergency response vehicles such as ambulances in the healthcare industry.

Firstly, with their small rotary-wings the drones can fly remotely and be programmed to fly routes or controlled wirelessly. Manoeuvring through constricted spaces will also be possible because of the drone's small size while allowing it to fly in a maximum range of 60 miles without any interruption (Saini, 2022). While drones can reach their destination by air and respond to emergencies within minutes, ambulances are not able to do the same as we need to take into consideration of busy traffic and traditional routes that are unavoidable by land (Oliver, 2020). This caused medical personnel to be unable to render care to patients fast enough, especially when AEDs or any other emergency medical supplies are badly needed. With this, drones are being used widely to help in numerous stages of emergency and are seen as a very valuable tool for a more efficient life-saving operation for patients who live remotely. 

Secondly, with the use of lithium batteries, drones are considered eco-friendly as no fuel is required for an operation which reduces air pollution, unlike ambulances. Using zero fuel will reduce carbon dioxide emissions which are excessively produced in the environment by vehicles powered by combustion engines. This can be supported by the statement released by the Land Transport Authority (2022) which states that vehicles powered by combustion engines emit about “7.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtC02e) in 2016.” Instead, healthcare drones are commonly powered by lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries and lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries which emit far less carbon dioxide into the environment. These batteries are large-capacity and compact-size rechargeable batteries made of polymer that reserve and transmit power only when necessary, allowing the drones to be used for longer flight times (Karanja, 2022). Such rechargeable batteries will also have a longer shelf life than compared to non-rechargeable ones which are easily disposable (Stanfield, 2022). Thus, using reusable and rechargeable batteries on healthcare drones requires less energy consumption compared to vehicles powered by combustion engines will essentially reduce environmental impact and lower the carbon footprint making healthcare drones considered eco-friendly.

Thirdly, the features installed on drones are also known to be more cost-effective. Based on a statistic, delivery by small rotary wing drones which are operated by lithium batteries gathers 70% figure to save on maintenance costs because operating drones for deliveries of healthcare stockpiles will not require heavy maintenance which is required by vehicles used for deliveries (Forde, 2020). The use of drone technology for telehealth will also slowly deplete human reliance on providing medical assistance or completing medical deliveries. Depleting human reliance will decrease the cost of assisting patients and the hiring of manpower for such service (Odigie et al., 2021). For that, drones are generally less expensive and more cost-effective which makes them the better choice in the healthcare industry. 

However, despite the key features of healthcare drones in delivering a better healthcare system. There are some concerns involving the drone's capability in providing sufficient power for longer-distance delivery while carrying a heavier load (Frachtenber, 2019). Currently, the battery life for drones is based on the payload which is inversely proportional to the consumption rate of the battery (Torabbeigi, M. & Lim, G. J., 2029).

In conclusion, healthcare drones are the key to providing a better healthcare system. They are able to provide a more efficient life-saving operation at a lower cost and will decrease the environmental impact as they emit lesser carbon dioxide which leads to fewer air pollutants in the environment. The only downside is their ability to deliver loads beyond their battery capacity which can be improved further in the years to come.


References


Balasubramanian, S. (2022, January 2). Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2022/01/09/drones-may-become-the-next-big-thing-in-healthcare-delivery/?sh=74a136f51e9b


Balasubramanian, S. (2021, August 29). A New First Responder: How Drones May Revolutionize Healthcare. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2021/08/29/a-new-first-responder-how-drones-may-revolutionize-healthcare/?sh=2dd1ba0947e7


Forde, M. (2020, May 21) Drones Energy Efficient Delivery Vans Experts Disagree. Supply Chain Dive.

https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/drones-energy-efficient-delivery-vans-experts-disagree/578418/


Frachtenberg, E. (2019, November 21). Practical Drone Delivery. IEEXplore

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8909916


Karanja, P. (2022). LiPo Batteries for Drones. Drone Blog.

https://www.droneblog.com/lipo-battery/


Land Transport Authority. (2022, March 08). Reducing Peak Land Transport Emissions by 80%

https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2022/3/news-releases/reducing-peak-land-transport-emissions-by-80-.html


Odigie, E. B., Adejumo, B. I. G., Oigbochie, A. E. (2021). Importance of Drones In Healthcare Delivery Amid a Pandemic: Current and Generation Next Application. 

https://www.updwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Importance-of-drones-in-healthcare-delivery-amid-a-pandemic-current-and-generation-next-application.pdf


Oliver, F. (2020, October 20). Six Ways Drones are Helping in Emergency Response. ScaleFlyt.

https://www.scaleflyt.com/news/six-ways-drones-are-helping-in-emergency-response


Saini, P. (2022, January 7). Drone Technology for Healthcare. Webmedy.

https://webmedy.com/blog/drone-technology-for-healthcare/


Stanfield, S. (2022, June 18). Are Rechargeable Batteries Eco-Friendly? 9 Important Facts. CitizenSustainable.

https://citizensustainable.com/rechargeable-batteries/#:~:text=3.-,Are%20Rechargeable%20Batteries%20More%20Eco%2DFriendly%20Than%20Disposable%20Ones%3F,end%20up%20in%20a%20landfill.


Torabbeigi, M. &  Lim, G. J. (2019, May 10) Drone Delivery Scheduling Optimization Considering Payload-induced Battery Consumption Rates. SpringerLink. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-019-01034-w





 

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