| Description |
Sufficient transportation is essential to supporting medical care in rural communities. Due to spatial barriers, or the lack of health facilities or pharmacies, patients often find themselves paying a high cost for consistent medical care. For patients needing multiple medical appointments, transportation barriers may cause patients to delay their care or miss appointments altogether. This paper analyzed literature that addressed nonemergency medical air transport and healthcare disparities among rural communities by looking at these main themes: geographic barriers, transportation costs for patients and health providers, and access to medication and medical supplies. I conducted six interviews with state and public agencies to explore these themes and compare the literature analysis to rural towns in Utah. Overall, rural towns in Utah see similar patterns and have learned to cope with these transportation challenges by adapting with community-oriented solutions and utilizing technologies like telehealth. Rural clinics in Utah have been solutions in filling healthcare gaps. Although their services are limited, this brought attention to the greater potential for more frequent and cheaper nonemergency air transport systems to build capacity in rural healthcare. From both the literature and interviews, provider-to-patient care can be enhanced using medical delivery drones to supplement traditional medical practice and improve provider-to-provider tasks like transferring time-sensitive medications, blood sample, or lab tests. Flights already in use for rural clinics can be maximized and more cost-effective if contracts were split among other community or public agencies. Further studies could identify how nonemergency medical air transport could be best integrated into the medical system, existing infrastructure, and future policies. |
