Unmanned aerial vehicles in prehospital emergency care: current evidence, technological advances, and future perspectives

TL;DR

This paper reviews how drones can improve emergency care by delivering medical supplies and assessing disaster scenes quickly, despite current technical and regulatory challenges.

Contribution

A comprehensive review of UAV applications in prehospital care, highlighting current evidence and future research directions.

Findings

UAVs can deliver AEDs, blood products, and drugs rapidly in emergencies.

Aerial imaging supports scene assessment and coordination in disaster response.

Technical reliability and regulatory issues limit widespread UAV implementation.

Abstract

Timely prehospital intervention is essential for improving patient outcomes, yet conventional ambulance-based systems often face delays in remote, congested, or disaster-affected settings. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a novel, traffic-independent solution with high operational flexibility and rapid deployment capacity. This review aims to summarize current evidence, technological progress, and future challenges of UAVs applications in prehospital emergency care.

A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and EBSCO Essentials for studies published up to September 2025. Relevant clinical trials, pilot projects, and policy documents were also reviewed to capture the latest developments in UAV-based prehospital interventions.

53 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. UAVs have been implemented across several domains, including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, trauma care, emergency medical logistics, and disaster response. Key applications involve rapid automated external defibrillator (AED) delivery, transport of blood products and critical drugs, and aerial imaging for scene assessment and command coordination. Despite growing feasibility evidence, broad implementation is hindered by technical reliability, regulatory restrictions, and limited funding frameworks.

UAVs demonstrate significant potential to enhance the speed, coverage, and coordination of prehospital emergency care. Future research should focus on integrating UAVs within established emergency medical service networks, developing unified policy and airspace regulations, and validating cost-effectiveness and clinical impact through large-scale, real-world studies.

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