PII-209 - MEDICAL SUPPLY TRANSPORT TO EVACUATION SHELTERS BY DRONE: PROPOSAL OF OITA MODEL USING RENDEZVOUS POINTS OF AIR AMBULANCE.

Y. Ishihara¹, Y. Otsubo¹, K. Hayashi¹, M. Kuranari², H. Wakuda², I. Oikawa², M. Kai¹, R. Yamamura², R. Tatsuta², N. Tsukamoto¹, R. Takenaka¹, K. Kakimoto¹, H. Itoh¹, R. Abe¹, O. Tokumaru¹, N. Uemura¹; ¹Oita University, ²Oita University Hospital.

Background: Drones are small aircrafts that are capable of unmanned flight by remote control. The unique characteristics of drones have already enabled disaster investigation, rescue, and transportation of relief supplies in the event of a natural disaster. We currently hypothesize that in the event of natural disasters drones can deliver medical supplies to evacuation centers (ECs) more efficiently and safely. In this study, we propose the Oita model to utilize existing rendezvous points (RPs) of an air ambulance for drug delivery to cover most of the ECs in Oita Prefecture.

Methods: We established a computer database to collect locations of all ECs and RPs in Oita Prefecture. The latitude and longitude of ECs were obtained from their addresses listed on the website of each municipal governments using "CSV Address Matching Service" powered by the University of Tokyo .The coordinates of RPs were provided by the Operations Control Center for Air Medical Services of Oita Prefecture. We estimated the optimal distance between a RP and its nearby EC to maximize efficiency of drug delivery to cover, if not all, the majority of ECs.

Results: As of March 31, 2023, there were 1,497 ECs and 419 RPs in Oita Prefecture. The number of ECs with RPs within a radius of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 km were 543 (36.3%), 952 (63.6%), 1,249 (83.4%), 1,387 (92.7%), 1,463 (97.7%). All ECs have at least one RP within 9 km.

Conclusion: The analyses from our database have indicated the proposed Oita model to transport medical supplies to ECs should be quite possible. For instance, more than 80% of the ECs are covered within a 3 km radius of the nearby RPs, and the small number of remaining ECs outside the 3 km range may be covered by a few RPs within no more than a 9 km distance. Although the feasibility of this model needs to be further investigated from the financial, regulatory and practical perspectives, this model is potentially used throughout the country.