Open AccessDevelopment of the Aerial Remote Triage System using drones in mass casualty scenarios: A survey of international experts
Author(s) -
Cristina Álvarez-García,
Sixto Cámara-Anguita,
José María López-Hens,
Nani Granero-Moya,
María Dolores López-Franco,
Inés María-Comino-Sanz,
Sebastián Sanz-Martos,
Pedro Luis Pancorbo Hidalgo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0242947
Subject(s) - triage , drone , mass casualty incident , mass casualty , medical emergency , computer science , medicine , computer security , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , genetics , biology
The use of drones for triage in mass-casualty incidents has recently emerged as a promising technology. However, there is no triage system specifically adapted to a remote usage. Our study aimed to develop a remote triage procedure using drones. The research was performed in three stages: literature review, the development of a remote triage algorithm using drones and evaluation of the algorithm by experts. Qualitative synthesis and the calculation of content validity ratios were done to achieve the Aerial Remote Triage System. This algorithm assesses (in this order): major bleeding, walking, consciousness and signs of life; and then classify the injured people into several priority categories: priority 1 (red), priority 2 (yellow), priority 3 (green) and priority * (violet). It includes the possibility to indicate save-living interventions to injured people and bystanders, like the compression of bleeding injuries or the adoption of the recovery position. The Aerial Remote Triage System may be a useful way to perform triage by drone in complex emergencies when it is difficult to access to the scene due to physical, chemical or biological risks.