Author/Editor		Poljak, Mario; Šterbenc, Anja
Title		Use of drones in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases
Type		članek
Vol. and No.		Letnik 25, št. 1
Publication year		2019
Volume		str. str.
ISSN		1198-743X - Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Language		eng
Abstract		Background Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles are autonomous or remotely controlled multipurpose aerial vehicles driven by aerodynamic forces and capable of carrying a payload. Whereas initially used exclusively for military purposes, the use of drones has gradually spread into other areas. Given their great flexibility and favourable costs, the use of drones has also been piloted in various healthcare settings. Objectives We briefly summarize current knowledge regarding the use of drones in healthcare, focusing on infectious diseases and/or microbiology when applicable. Sources Information was sought through PubMed and extracted from peer-reviewed literature published between January 2010 and August 2019 and from reliable online news sources. The search terms 'drones', 'unmanned aerial vehicles', 'microbiology' and 'medicine' were used. Content Peer-reviewed literature on the use of drones in healthcare has steadily increased in recent years. Drones have been successfully evaluated in various pilot programmes and are already implemented in some settings for transporting samples and delivering blood, vaccines, medicines, organs, life-saving medical supplies and equipment. In addition, a promising proof-of-concept 'lab-on-a-drone' was recently presented, as well as several pilot studies showing the benefits of drone use in surveillance and epidemiology of infectious diseases.
Keywords		mobile microbiology drones portable instruments mobilna mikrobiologija droni prenosni instrumenti