Context-Specific Challenges, Opportunities, and Ethics of Drones for Healthcare Delivery in the Eyes of Program Managers and Field Staff: A Multi-Site Qualitative Study

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have significant potential in the healthcare field. Ethical and practical concerns, challenges, and complexities of using drones for specific and diverse healthcare purposes have been minimally explored to date. This paper aims to document and advance awareness of diverse context-specific concerns, challenges, and complexities encountered by individuals working on the front lines of drones for health. It draws on original qualitative research and data from semi-structured interviews (N = 16) with drones for health program managers and field staff in nine countries. Directed thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews and identify key ethical and practical concerns, challenges, and complexities experienced by participants in their work with drones for health projects. While some concerns, challenges, and complexities described by study participants were more technical in nature, for example, those related to drone technology and approval processes, the majority were not. The bulk of context-specific concerns and challenges identified by participants, we propose, could be mitigated through community engagement initiatives.

Drone delivery efficiency, challenges, and potential in Oman during COVID-19

“…Many current studies confirm that safety and privacy challenges could include GPS 1 jamming and hacking (Alwateer and Loke, 2020;Das, Mohanta and Jena, 2020;Chamola et al, 2020;Jeyabalan et al, 2020). Vyshnave Jeyabalan and other researchers emphasised in their research study that the increase in aircraft and areophane and the large size of some cities and villages create an issue to the GPS 9 collection (Jeyabalan et al, 2020). This issue leads to GPS problems.…”

“…Vyshnave, Elysee, Patrick and Lorie (2020) theorise that drones' delivery holds a great promise to succour infectious diseases control and respond to public health emergencies (Jeyabalan et al, 2020). Several studies mentioned that drone operators worldwide started to cater to the new demand due to the COVID-19 crisis.…”

“…Several studies mentioned that drone operators worldwide started to cater to the new demand due to the COVID-19 crisis. They transport medical supplies, groceries and other necessary goods via drones (OECD, 2020;EUCHI, 2020;Jeyabalan et al, 2020). A systematic review by the International Transport Forum confirmed that since the coronavirus outbreak, drones used to transport daily necessities and medical supplies to avoid human interaction, monitor social distances and confined citizens (OECD, 2020).…”

“…Arguably, considering COVID-19, drone applications are used chiefly in the healthcare aspect as human lives are at stake. Previous studies emphasised that drone applications in healthcare comprise the delivery of medicines, blood samples, lab samples, vaccines, defibrillators, and other medical supplies (Scott and Scott, 2018;Hii, Courtney and Royall, 2019;UNICEF, 2020;Jeyabalan et al, 2020). Mohsen Guizani and other researchers who are members of the Qatar National Research Fund mentioned in their article that in September 2019, researchers from the National University of Ireland tested a drone to transport diabetes medicines (Chamola et al, 2020).…”

“…Vyshnave, Elysee, Patrick and Lorie ( 2020) conducted a research study and investigated many other technical challenges resulting from drone crashes and network issues (Jeyabalan et al, 2020). From the researcher's point of view, drones' limited battery life and load capacity inhabit their capability to make multiple transportations at once and cover long distances.…”