Abstract
Background
Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the United States is approximately
10%. Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are effective when applied early, yet
public access AEDs are used in <2% of OHCAs. AEDs are often challenging for bystanders
to locate and are rarely available in homes, where 70% of OHCAs occur. Drones have
the potential to deliver AEDs to bystanders efficiently; however, little is known
about the human-drone interface in AED delivery.
Objectives
To describe user experiences with AED-equipped drones in a feasibility study of simulated
OHCA in a community setting.
Methods
We simulated an OHCA in a series of trials with age-group/sex-matched participant
pairs, with one participant randomized to search for a public access AED and the other
to call a mock 9-1-1 telephone number that initiated the dispatch of an AED-equipped
drone. We investigated user experience of 17 of the 35 drone recipient participants
via semi-structured qualitative interviews and analyzed audio-recordings for key aspects
of user experience.
Results
Drone recipient participants reported largely positive experiences, highlighting that
this delivery method enabled them to stay with the victim and continue cardiopulmonary
resuscitation. Concerns were few but included drone arrival timing and direction as
well as bystander safety. Participants provided suggestions for improvements in the
AED-equipped drone design and delivery procedures.
Conclusion
Participants reported positive experiences interacting with an AED-equipped drone
for a simulated OHCA in a community setting. Early findings suggest a role for drone-delivered
AEDs to improve bystander AED use and improve outcomes for OHCA victims.
Abbreviations:
AED (automatic external defibrillator), CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), EMS (emergency medical services), OHCA (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest), UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), UNC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 17, 2020
Accepted:
October 5,
2020
Received in revised form:
September 28,
2020
Received:
March 31,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
