A Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins School of Medicine physician is working to implement the use of drones to carry medical equipment and critical supplies to urban and rural areas, according to NPR.
Timothy Amukele, an assistant professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins conducted several experiments to determine if drones were a plausible alternative to transport medicine and lab results. Over the course of his research, Mr. Amukele discovered that blood and DNA samples can stay intact during drone flights, according to the article. Later research proved that drone transport can be used to transport samples containing microbes for donated blood, according to the article.
While Mr. Amukele acknowledged that drones would be incredibly useful in collecting patient samples and transporting them to the hospital on behalf of the patient, he said there are also a number of valid concerns regarding the use of drones, including the logistics of landings and general safety concerns regarding the machines themselves.