Abstract
Despite their general availability, drones are not currently widely used in emergency medicine, distribution of medication and other medical products, as well as in epidemiological emergencies, in which limiting interpersonal contact is crucial for minimizing the public health risk. Given the current epidemiological situation, it is pertinent to consider, whether implementing activities with the use of drones can significantly contribute to minimizing health risks, and whether such initiatives are acceptable in the light of applicable legal regulations. The main objective is supported by an analysis of the usefulness of applicable provisions, indicating the direction of possible changes in existing legal regulations. Additionally, the article aims to demonstrate the feasibility of drone use in activities related to combating epidemics, as well as to emphasize their practical importance. Reports on the commercial use of drones in the distribution of goods and services have also been used as material for comprehensive analysis. Simultaneously, the article also includes data on quantities of equipment available to healthcare units in Poland for saving life and health. The present work uses the method of analysis of applicable legal regulations, as a criterion for the usefulness of existing solutions in the area of improving the quality of medical services, including preventive measures and combating the effects of an epidemic.
Keywords: COVID-19, Fighting epidemics, Protecting public health, Aviation law, Drones in medicine
Code Availability
Not applicable.
Abbreviations
- Dz.U.
Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland [Dziennik Ustaw]
- Dz.Urz.ULC.
The Official Journal of the Civil Aviation Authority [Dziennik Urzędowy Urzędu Lotnictwa cywilnego]
Biographies
Justyna Król - Całkowska
PhD (law), PhD (medical science) Associate professor of Lazarski University in Warsaw, A lawyer specializing in protecting the rights of doctors and people working in other medical professions, Head of the Department of International and European Law at the Lazarski University in Warsaw, Associate professor at the Department of Medical Law of the Medical University in Lodz, Head of Postgraduate Studies “Medical Law in Healthcare” at the Faculty of Postgraduate Education at the Medical University in Warsaw, Head of Postgraduate Studies in Telemedicine and Telecare at Medical University in Lodz, Lecturer of legal subjects at the Executive Master of Business Administration in Healthcare, Medical University in Warsaw – Warsaw school of Economics, Lecturer of legal subjects at the “MBA in Healthcare” studies, Medical University of Lublin, Lecturer of legal subjects at the “MBA in Healthcare” studies, Lazarski University in Warsaw, Author of several monographs in the field of medical and pharmaceutical law, Member of the Council of Experts established at the Patients’ Rights Ombudsman.
Daniel Walczak
Master of Laws, graduate at the Lazarski University in Warsaw, Academic teacher at Postgraduate Studies “Medical Law in Healthcare” at the Faculty of Postgraduate Education at the Medical University in Warsaw, Author of publications on the legal application of artificial intelligence in medicine, Senior specialist at Digital Poland Projects Centre.
Author’s Contribution
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Justyna Król-Całkowska and Daniel Walczak. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Daniel Walczak and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Declarations
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
Competing Interests
The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Ethics Approval
Not applicable.
Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
Consent to Publish
Not applicable.
Footnotes
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Contributor Information
Esthera Justyna Król-Całkowska, Email: kancelaria.prawomed@gmail.com.
Daniel Walczak, Email: daniwalczak@gmail.com.
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