Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40621325›Full record

ReviewCureus2025

A Systematic Review of Drone Customization and Application in Public Health Innovation.

Sudip Bhattacharya, Alok Singh, Shailesh Tripathi, Poonam Kushwaha, Himel Mondal, Vanisree Ramanathan, Deep Sikha, Shiv K Mudgal, Samiksha Bhattacharjee, Sandip Bhattacharya and 3 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Sudip BhattacharyaCommunity and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, IND.
Alok SinghCommunity Medicine, Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram, IND.
Shailesh TripathiHospital Administration, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, IND.
Poonam KushwahaCommunity Medicine, Rama Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Kanpur, IND.
Himel MondalPhysiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jharkhand, IND.
Vanisree RamanathanPublic Health, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune, IND.
Deep SikhaCommunity Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun, IND.
Shiv K MudgalCollege of Nursing, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, IND.
Samiksha BhattacharjeePharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, IND.
Sandip BhattacharyaElectronics and Communication Engineering, Sri Rajeshwara University, Warangal, IND.
Akanksha SinghAyurvedic Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University, Varanasi, IND.
Vimal S MundaMicrobiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, IND.
Keerti B PradhanChitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Chandigarh, IND.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A drone, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is an aircraft operated without a human pilot on board embedded with diverse capabilities. Recent advancements in drone technology have expanded their applicability beyond military and recreational use, enabling critical functions across civilian sectors. In particular, the integration of UAVs into healthcare systems presents new opportunities to overcome logistical barriers, especially in hard-to-reach or underserved regions. This review aims to explore the expanding horizon of drone services within the public health domain and identify future research avenues in this innovative field. In line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, this systematic review followed a structured approach to screen and select studies. Initially, a comprehensive search was conducted across five major databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Scopus. Search terms included combinations of "unmanned aerial vehicle," "drone," "UAV" with "public health," "healthcare delivery," "medical logistics," "telemedicine," and "remote healthcare." Boolean operators and search filters were applied to refine results, yielding an initial count of 1,200 articles from which only 36 have met our inclusion criteria. We found that drones are capable of serving in multiple arenas such as pharmaceutical delivery, blood and organ transportation, disaster response, aerial telemedicine stations, environmental monitoring, remote diagnostics, patient monitoring and care, training and simulation, nutritional support, water and sanitation, psychological support, bio medical waste management, public health surveillance, veterinary care, mobile laboratory services, support of elderly care and education and outreach.

Indexed as

droneemergency medical servicehealthcare service deliverypublic healthunmanned aerial vehicle

Identifiers

PMID40621325
PMCPMC12228581

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.