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Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues Open access
Journal Impact FactorTM (2025) 1.5 Q3
Journal Citation IndicatorTM (2025) 0.25 Q4
Received: 2025-09-24  |  Accepted: 2026-01-29  |  Published: 2026-03-30

Title

Possibilities of using unmanned aerial vehicles in healthcare with an evaluation of the benefits and threats


Abstract

This paper explores the potential applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in healthcare, focusing on their implementation in real-world scenarios. UAVs, commonly known as drones, have shown significant promise in improving healthcare services, particularly in the rapid transport of medical supplies such as blood, vaccines, and laboratory samples. Through a systematic review of existing literature, this study identifies five key areas where drones are already being utilized or hold potential for further integration: sample transportation, emergency medical services (e.g., AED delivery), organ transport, disaster relief, and mosquito population control. The study highlights both the benefits and risks associated with UAV deployment in healthcare, including increased efficiency and accessibility of medical supplies versus concerns over safety, battery life, and regulatory challenges. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the readiness of these technologies for widespread adoption, suggesting that with further improvements and regulatory adjustments, drones could become integral to modern healthcare systems.


Keywords

drones, economic efficiency, decision-making, healthcare, medical supply transport, emergency medical services, organ transport, disaster relief, mosquito population control


JEL classifications

J20 , L10 , G10


URI

http://jssidoi.org/jesi/article/1411


DOI


Pages

360-376


Funding

This publication was realized with support of Operational Program Integrated Infrastructure 2014 - 2020 of the project: Intelligent operating and processing systems for UAVs, code ITMS 313011V422, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

This is an open access issue and all published articles are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Authors

Höhrová, Paula
University of Žilina, Žilina, Slovakia https://www.uniza.sk
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Soviar, Jakub
University of Žilina, Žilina, Slovakia https://www.uniza.sk
Articles by this author in: CrossRef |  Google Scholar

Holubčík, Martin
University of Žilina, Žilina, Slovakia https://www.uniza.sk
Articles by this author in: CrossRef |  Google Scholar

Kubina, Milan
University of Žilina, Žilina, Slovakia https://www.uniza.sk
Articles by this author in: CrossRef |  Google Scholar

Journal title

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues

Volume

13


Number

3


Issue date

March 2026


Issue DOI


ISSN

ISSN 2345-0282 (online)


Publisher

VšĮ Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, Vilnius, Lithuania

Cited

Google Scholar

Article views & downloads

HTML views: 713  |  PDF downloads: 608

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