Enhancing in-flight medical response: the importance of physicians in managing airborne emergencies

Physicians play an important role in providing immediate medical care. This study highlights the significance of physician involvement on flights, outlining the types of emergencies they may encounter, and providing insight into the effectiveness of in-flight medical interventions as part of this review. A comprehensive search of literature was executed using major medical databases such as PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Cochrane. The type of emergencies, medical interventions, and incident outcomes were evaluated through data analysis. The studies were selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. There were nine studies selected based on a range of medical emergencies that occurred during commercial flights, including syncope, respiratory distress, and cardiac arrest. A physician on board assessed and managed these cases, providing simple advice and reassurance as well as more complicated medical care. As physicians cannot be present on all flights, modern telemedicine technologies can reduce the handicap of lack of a doctor on a flight. The presence on board of properly trained personnel, telemedical equipment and the availability on the ground of specialized centres for medical assistance in flight can contribute to properly handling in-flight medical emergencies.