Impact of drone-specific dispatch instructions on the safety and efficacy of drone-delivered emergency medical treatments: A randomized simulation pilot study.

Introduction: Medical drones have potential for improving the response times to out-of-hospital emergencies. However, widespread adoption is hindered by unanswered questions surrounding medical dispatch and bystander safety. This study evaluated the impact of novel drone-specific dispatch instructions (DSDI) on bystanders' ability to interact effectively with a medical drone and provide prompt, safe, and high-quality treatment in a simulated emergency scenario. We hypothesized DSDI would improve bystanders' performance and facilitate safer bystander-drone interactions.
Methods: Twenty-four volunteers were randomized to receive either DSDI and standard Medical Priority Dispatch (MPD) instructions or MPD alone in a simulated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) or pediatric anaphylaxis., ³ Participants in the DSDI group received detailed instructions on locating and interacting with the drone and its enclosed medical kit. The simulations were video recorded. Participants completed a semi-structured interview and survey.
Results: The addition of DSDI did not lead to statistically significant changes to the overall time to provide care in either the anaphylaxis or OHCA simulations. However, DSDI did have an impact on bystander safety. In the MPD only group, 50% (6/12) of participants ignored the audio and visual safety cues from the drone instead of waiting for it to be declared safe compared to no DSDI participants ignoring these safety cues.
Conclusions: All participants successfully provided patient care. However, this study indicates that DSDI may be useful to ensure bystander safety and should be incorporated in the continued development of emergency medical drones.
Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Christine M. Brent reports financial support was provided by Toyota Motor Corporation. James M. Pribble reports financial support was provided by Toyota Motor Corporation. Laura R. Hopson reports financial support was provided by Toyota Motor Corporation. Emily J. Mathias reports financial support was provided by Toyota Motor Corporation. Nathaniel Hunt reports financial support was provided by Toyota Motor Corporation. Christine M. Brent reports a relationship with the Medical Control Authority of Michigan that includes: board membership. Co-author employed by Emergent Health Partners − E.E.D. Co-author employed by Emergent Health Partners − I.G.S. Co-author employed by Emergent Health Partners − N.K.M. Corresponding author employed as EMS Medical Director − C.M.B. Co-author employed as EMS Medical Director − N.H. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(© 2024 The Author(s).)