The concept of a portable isolated robotic medical module for evacuation of the sick and injured
Authors: Goncharov S. F. , Sokolov M. E. , Baranova N. N. , Solodova R. F. , Titov I. G. 
Published: November 2020

Relevance. In our country, as part of the digitalization of healthcare, a number of organizational decisions have been made and are being implemented to optimize the medical evacuation of the sick and injured in emergency situations. The digital transformation of healthcare in order to address the issues of treatment correction, patient transportability and the feasibility of medical evacuation to the greatest degree is realized so far only in the form of telemedicine consultations. At the same time, the latest developments can already be applied, allowing the use of advanced information technologies, including artificial intelligence technologies, for each sick or injured during medical evacuation in the prehospital and hospital periods in the event of emergency response and during everyday work. One of such developments could be the creation of a portable isolated robotic medical module.

Intention: To justify the concept of a portable, isolated robotic medical module for the medical evacuation of the sick and injured using advanced medical digital technologies.

Methodology. Based on an analysis of the advanced medical equipment, medical materials, digital medical technologies, many years of comprehensive in-house experience in medical evacuation, an information and patent search was conducted for conceptual solutions to create a portable isolated robotic medical module (Module) for medical evacuation of the sick and injured in the daily life and emergency situations.

Results and Discussion. A key solution to the problem is to implement the following original ideas. Firstly, it is the “block” principle of layout of the Module structure. In the first (upper) block, robotic diagnostic and medical equipment, control systems and telemetry communications are installed. If you need to work offline, the unit is protected from external influences. The second (middle) block is designed to accommodate a patient who receives medical care. The unit can be completely isolated from the external environment, a comfortable internal environment is created and elements of a video communication system are placed. The third (lower) block contains systems for patient’s life support and autonomic operation, and can be delivered on board the vehicle separately from the first and second blocks. The mass of the third block is not critical for the mass of the

Module as a whole. Secondly, there is an idea of using special removable and replaceable shells to isolate the Module from adverse weather conditions. It is possible to use a removable cover made of protective materials. For the conditions of the Far North, these are heat-conserving materials, for the conditions of armed conflict - para-aramid fiber (Kevlar). Thirdly, ergonomic location of medical equipment above the patient provides convenient maintenance of equipment for medical manipulations. In this case, observation and treatment are not interrupted when moving the patient from one vehicle to another.

Conclusion. Advanced digital medical technologies in the medical evacuation of the sick and injured within the concept of a portable, isolated, robotic medical module can significantly reduce risks and apply a patient-oriented approach during the medical evacuation of each patient. This makes a significant contribution to the development of medical evacuation and practical medicine.