ASOURCE Navi

Doctor helicopters are used to quickly transport seriously injured patients to hospitals and save lives in emergency situations such as traffic accidents and disasters. Doctors and nurses are on board and provide initial treatment on-site, greatly contributing to improving patient survival rates. In this fourth installment, we will explain the current situation and issues surrounding doctor helicopters.

Ambulances travel on the ground, so they are susceptible to traffic jams and take time to travel to remote areas. Doctor helicopters, on the other hand, fly in the air, so they can travel quickly. Comparing the time it takes for a doctor to begin initial treatment, if the distance is 40km, it takes about 80 minutes by ambulance, but with a doctor helicopter, it takes about 40 minutes if requested after the ambulance arrives at the scene, and it is 10 minutes shorter if requested before the ambulance arrives. Also, while ambulances do not have doctors on board, doctors and nurses do, and they can provide initial treatment on-site.
Doctor helicopters and ambulances work together, and when a seriously ill patient arrives at the scene, ambulance staff hand over to Doctor helicopter staff, and they each play their own role in transporting and treating patients.
Doctor helicopters are primarily used in remote islands and mountainous areas where it is difficult or time-consuming to use ambulances. In these areas, Doctor helicopters can significantly reduce the time it takes to transport patients, making a major contribution to improving the survival rate of seriously ill patients.

In Japan, the first Doctor Helicopter service began in 2001. It has been gradually installed throughout the country, and as of 2024, 56 Doctor Helicopters are deployed. In fiscal 2021, there were 34,268 emergency requests for Doctor Helicopters, of which 26,921 were dispatched and responded to. The reasons Doctor Helicopters could not be dispatched were multiple requests at the same time (6.4%) and bad weather (10.1%). In recent years, the proportion of cases where they could not be dispatched due to weather conditions has been increasing, and the influence of global warming is also thought to be a factor. The number of patients who received medical treatment by Doctor Helicopters was 21,511, and a breakdown of the cases treated shows that while traffic accidents are on the decline, endogenous diseases are on the rise.

Doctor helicopters have achieved great results in many cases, such as improving the resuscitation rate of patients with cardiac arrest and improving the prognosis of patients with cerebral infarction. For example, a doctor helicopter dispatched to Nagano Prefecture in 2021 quickly provided life-saving measures to a patient in cardiac arrest at the scene and then transported him to the hospital. Treatment at the hospital helped save the patient's life. In this way, the work of doctor helicopters has made a significant contribution to strengthening the local emergency medical system.

Deployment of doctor helicopters varies by region, with development progressing mainly in densely populated areas. However, introduction has been delayed in depopulated areas, and eliminating regional disparities is an issue. Issues related to introduction and maintenance, such as securing operating costs and pilots and medical staff, have also been pointed out. In order to promote the nationwide deployment of doctor helicopters, the government is providing financial support for the expenses required for operation and for nighttime operation.
Other issues facing Doctor Helicopters include restrictions on operation during bad weather. In response to these issues, the use of remote control technology and the introduction of AI support systems are being considered, with the hope of further improving efficiency and stabilizing operations. In addition, efforts must be made to eliminate regional disparities by promoting the deployment of Doctor Helicopters to remote islands and mountainous areas. Doctor Helicopters are expected to continue to play their role as an important provider of regional medical care.