Effects of Drone Technology on access to blood and blood components for improved maternal health outcomes in underserved communities in Ghana: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Access to specialized blood components such as fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate is fraught with challenges due to supply-demand imbalances, logistical and transportation constraints in most lower-middle income countries such as Ghana. These barriers have significant implications on maternal health, contributing to preventable deaths and disabilities resulting from postpartum hemorrhage. The study sought to assess how the adoption of medical drone technology (aerial logistics) has improved access to blood and blood components for improved maternal health outcomes in the Eastern region of Ghana. Methods A cross sectional study of 16 transfusion facilities was employed to estimate the impact of medical drone technology on blood products access and maternal health outcomes using data from administrative records of the Eastern region Ghana Health Service and Zipline, an unmanned aerial logistics company in Ghana. Descriptive statistics were used to establish associations between blood utilization from the medical drone technology source and other traditional sources, while a difference in difference analysis was conducted to determine pre-post differences between the weighted average of MMR among transfusion facilities served by the aerial logistics company and those not served. Results The use of medical drone technology has significantly diversified the range of available blood components(34% drone delivery of whole blood, 40% concentrated red cells (CRC), 18% fresh frozen plasma (FFPs), and 8% Cryoprecipitate), enabling more targeted treatment protocols compared to 90% whole blood and less than 10% were CRC and FFP utilized from other sources. There has been a significant increase in the availability of blood products and a substantial reduction in maternal mortality ratios. Conclusions The findings revealed that medical drone technology effectively addresses existing healthcare supply chain gaps with regards to blood distribution. It not only enhances the availability of specialized blood components but also improves maternal health outcomes.