Cost Comparison of Blood Product Transportation and Distribution between Ambulance and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

This quantitative research aims to analyze the cost of transporting and distributing blood by ambulance, comparing it with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in hospitals within the service area of the 10th Regional Blood Center in northern Thailand. The service area encompasses three provinces: Chiang Mai, Lampang, and Lamphun, covering a total of 24 hospitals. The hospitals are classified based on their proximity to the 10th Regional Blood Center in Chiang Mai. The Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) method is employed to study the service provision of ambulances, comparing the cost per trip with that of UAVs. The study reveals that the average cost per trip for blood transportation and distribution by ambulance is 641.76 Thai Baht in the near group, 11,226.07 Thai Baht in the intermediate group,   and 22,208.91 Thai Baht in the distant group. The cost breakdown includes average depreciation costs (61.70%), fuel costs (23.62%), maintenance costs (4.58%), and driver labor costs (3.74%). In contrast, the cost per trip for UAVs remains constant at 805.00 Thai Baht. The cost-effectiveness analysis indicates that the cost-effectiveness of ambulance transportation and blood distribution is 13.68 Thai Baht per minute, while the cost-effectiveness of UAV transportation and blood distribution is 46.98 Thai Baht per minute. This study serves as preliminary research, utilizing a cost-effectiveness framework in the healthcare transportation system, and provides a comparative view of UAV integration into blood transportation logistics, aiding in nuanced evaluations of investment returns and policy planning for efficient public health transportation systems in the future.