Design of a service for hospital internal transport of urgent pharmaceuticals via drones

Abstract

The movement of medical supplies within a hospital heavily depends on people physically carrying these materials. Traditional methods of transporting medical supplies within hospitals often encounter logistical challenges, particularly in densely populated areas like Yalova Merkez in Yalova Province, Turkey. To address these challenges, this study introduces a drone-based delivery system for urgent pharmaceuticals, specifically designed to enhance logistics efficiency and safety within hospital settings. Through a collaborative approach, we developed and validated this service design at CityHospital, a Virtual/Simulated Hospital utilized for our research simulation. Primary user needs were identified through interviews and visual aids, informing the design of the drone service. Feedback from users underscores its potential to significantly improve healthcare logistics. While this system offers notable advantages in efficiency, precautions against risks such as tampering with delivery containers are essential. Proposed strategies include the use of tamper-evident seals and mechatronic locks. Furthermore, this analysis identifies key information for implementing a digital logistics management system, paving the way for future enhancements.