Drones

Knight, R. (2016). Drones deliver healthcare. Retrieved from: http://insideunmannedsystems.com/drones-deliver-healthcare/

 Barbara Dixon NUR 701

Knight (2016) provides a product review by describing the potential opportunity we now have in healthcare with the up and coming rise in drones.  From being able to access the hard-to-reach areas during a disaster with defibrillators and fresh water, to supplying blood and medication to small hospitals during a trauma, the possibilities of drones improving the capability and proficiency in healthcare are endless.  I chose this article to blog on because I really believe drones will soon be saving lives and money.

This topic is very interesting to me, because I foresee drones affecting all of our lives sooner than later.  In my opinion, Amazon is trialing a prototype right now with its products Alexis and the Echo dot.  Just imagine, in the hospital, a patient hits the call-bell and can speak to the Alexis drone which has the ability to fetch water our snack, and someday even 2 Tylenol.  Alexis will be updated with the patient’s diet and fluid restrictions and allergies. There will be a tremendous amount of time saved allowing healthcare professionals can focus on more serious tasks. Customer service scores will sky rocket when patient don’t sit and wait for what feels like an eternity to have their call-bell answered.

Small hospitals can benefit tremendously.  Medications and blood products that do not have a long shelf life are not usually stocked in large quantities to prevent waste. However, in an emergency situation, a one car accident might deplete the hospital of its blood supply.  Therefore, a four-care pile up will need emergency blood to be delivered, and fast.   Drones are the answer to this, with their ability to transport blood on the fasted route possible. UPS, Gavi, and Zipline have already been working in Rwanda to do this.

Along with the life-saving capabilities and financial benefits, drones are improving the hospital workflow by making deliveries between units and departments, instead of the good-old pneumatic tube system, or hand delivery.  I believe that sooner than later we will be getting in-serviced on the use of drones at our workplaces.  By letting a little robot complete the small tasks, people can have more time to do the important bigger jobs.

Outside of the hospital, the elderly population will potentially have an easier time staying at home instead of moving into a nursing home or an assisted living. Drones are being created to help the elderly with their medications and chores around the house. KM is going to lead to drones and robots that are learning from mistakes and from human behavior, allowing them to interact with us.  I believe the knowledge spiral, or the continuous process of knowledge transformation is how drones will learn which path to take and which height to maintain in route.  Drones are quickly providing solutions to many of the issues of healthcare such as shortages in healthcare professionals, shortages in time, and shortages in money.