Medical care in the air: City to use drones for some 911 calls
Becker's Healthcare July 22, 2024
In September, a 911 call about a cardiac arrest in Clemmons, N.C., might be answered by a drone lugging an automated external defibrillator, KFF Health News reported July 22.
When people experience a cardiac arrest not within a hospital, about 90% die because they lack immediate help from first responders or bystanders, according to the news outlet.
On average, it takes seven minutes for emergency medical services to arrive, but rural areas face longer delays, a 2017 study found. A drone can shorten this wait to four minutes.
The city’s sheriff’s office is launching the project alongside Duke University’s Clinical Research Institute in Durham,...