ArticleBMC health services research2021
Drone versus ambulance for blood products transportation: an economic evaluation study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pre-analytical stability of blood samples transported by drone versus ground: a pilot study.Practical laboratory medicine · 2026Article
- 5G intelligent airport platform for UAV blood transport in Shenzhen China: a retrospective observational study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Leveraging drone technology in health systems strengthening: A cost-effectiveness analysis from Northeast India.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Supplying whole blood with drones for prehospital transfusion at trauma sites in Finland: A simulation.Vox sanguinis · 2025Article
- Article
- Study on medical professionals' acceptance of and factors influencing drone delivery for medical supplies.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Innovative transfusion strategies for blood deserts in disaster settings.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Using drones to improve care for HIV-exposed children in Conakry, Republic of Guinea: Anthropological perspectives.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Improving early infant diagnosis for HIV-exposed infants using unmanned aerial vehicles for blood sample transportation in Conakry, Guinea: a comparative cost-effectiveness analysis.BMJ global health · 2023Article
- Can drones save lives and money? An economic evaluation of airborne delivery of automated external defibrillators.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2023Article
- The impact of delivery by a fixed-wing, sling-launched unmanned aerial vehicle on the hematologic function of whole blood.The journal of trauma and acute care surgery · 2023Article
- Current summary of the evidence in drone-based emergency medical services care.Resuscitation plus · 2023Review
- Acceptance of medical drone technology and its determinant factors among public and healthcare personnel in a Malaysian urban environment: knowledge, attitude, and perception.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedical transportation is an essential step in health care services, and includes ground, air and water transportation. Among the important uses of medical transportation is the delivery of blood products in the event of a clinical emergency. Drone technology is the latest technological advancement that may revolutionize medical transportation globally. Nonetheless, its economic evaluation is scant and insufficient, whilst its cost-effectiveness remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of drone transportation versus the ambulance.
methodsThe setting of the study was within a developing nation. An economic evaluation study of drone versus ambulance for emergency blood products transportation between the Sabah Women and Children Hospital (SWACH) and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital (QEH2) on Borneo Island was conducted using the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) technique. The total cost of each mode of transportation was calculated using the Activity Based Costing (ABC) method. Travel time was used as a denominator to estimate the Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER).
resultsFor one clinical emergency in SWACH, a round trip of blood products transportation from SWACH to QEH2 costs RM1,266.02 (USD307.09) when using the ambulance, while the drone costs RM1,313.28 (USD319.36). The travel time for the drone was much shorter (18 min) compared to the ambulance (34 min). The Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (CER) of ambulance transportation was RM37.23 (USD9.05) per minute whilst the CER of drone transportation was RM72.96 (USD17.74) per minute. The ICER of drone versus ambulance was - 2.95, implying an increase of RM2.95 in cost for every minute saved using a drone instead of an ambulance.
conclusionAlthough drone transportation of blood products costs more per minute compared to the ambulance, the significantly shorter transport time of the drone offset its cost. Thus, we believe there is good economic potential for drone usage for blood products transportation in developing nations particularly if the drone price decreases and its operational lifespan increases. Our limitation of a non-clinical denominator used in this study leads to the recommendation for use of clinical outcomes in future studies.
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