Acceptability and perceived utility of drone technology among emergency medical service responders and incident commanders for mass casualty incident management

Authors

  • Alexander Hart, MD
  • Peter R. Chai, MD
  • Matthew K. Griswold, MD
  • Jeffrey T. Lai, MD
  • Edward W. Boyer, MD, PhD
  • John Broach, MD, MPH

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2017.0279

Keywords:

drone, unmanned aerial vehicle, technology, mass casualty incidents, emergency medical services, incident command

Abstract

Objective: This study seeks to understand the acceptability and perceived utility of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to Mass Casualty Incidents (MCI) scene management.

Design: Qualitative questionnaires regarding the ease of operation, perceived usefulness, and training time to operate UAVs were administered to Emergency Medical Technicians (n = 15).

Setting: A Single Urban New England Academic Tertiary Care Medical Center.

Participants: Front-line emergency medical service (EMS) providers and senior EMS personnel in Incident Commander roles.

Conclusions: Data from this pilot study indicate that EMS responders are accepting to deploying and operating UAV technology in a disaster scenario. Additionally, they perceived UAV technology as easy to adopt yet impactful in improving MCI scene management.

Author Biographies

Alexander Hart, MD

Fellow in Disaster Medicine, Clinical Instructor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Westborough, Massachusetts

Peter R. Chai, MD

Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Matthew K. Griswold, MD

Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut

Jeffrey T. Lai, MD

Fellow in Medical Toxicology, Clinical Instructor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, North Worcester, Massachusetts

Edward W. Boyer, MD, PhD

Director of Academic Development, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

John Broach, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, North Worcester, Massachusetts

References

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Published

10/01/2017

How to Cite

Hart, MD, A., P. R. Chai, MD, M. K. Griswold, MD, J. T. Lai, MD, E. W. Boyer, MD, PhD, and J. Broach, MD, MPH. “Acceptability and Perceived Utility of Drone Technology Among Emergency Medical Service Responders and Incident Commanders for Mass Casualty Incident Management”. American Journal of Disaster Medicine, vol. 12, no. 4, Oct. 2017, pp. 261-5, doi:10.5055/ajdm.2017.0279.

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 4 (2017): Fall

Section

Articles

License

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