Pilot Design of Bicycle Ambulance: Appropriate Solutions in Providing Assistance to the Injured and Sick in Seaports, Piers and Islands

In crises and accidents, sometimes due to various reasons, such as road destruction, road and street traffic, crowded roads, lack or absence of fuel and the impossibility of vehicle traffic, medical staff cannot travel to the scene or crisis point with conventional vehicles. They have to use special vehicles, one of which can be a bicycle. In the present study, for the first time in Iran, a bicycle ambulance is designed.

The present applied study was conducted in 2016, in Marine Medicine Research Center, Tehran, Iran. The experiences of the research team of the Marine Medicine Research Center and the expert panel opinions were used to collect data. In choosing the right bike, strength, lightness, reasonable price, good maneuverability, ease of use and domestic production were taken into account. Then, the portable medical contents in the back and front pouches of the bicycle, the size and material of the pouches, the package and the relief bags for installation in the bicycle pouches were determined in the expert panels.

Bicycles made in Iran were selected from light and strong aluminum furnaces with soft auxiliaries and a smooth and suitable gear system. Two bags on the front of the bike were chosen to accommodate light but bulky medical equipment. Equipment such as ambobags, splints, catheter tubes and serum were placed in these two bags. The larger back bag contained small examination, sutures, dressings, catheters, injections and serum therapy bags as well as medications. Also, communication equipment was placed in the back bag.

In the present study, as a pilot, an Iranian bicycle ambulance was designed to provide assistance to patients and injured people at maritime bases, piers and islands, as well as critical situations. In this study, both the selection of bicycles and medical equipment and how to install them were considered.