Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2020
Journal
Drones
Volume
4
Issue
3
First Page
1
Last Page
20
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.3390/drones4030044
Abstract
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. 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.
Notes
Jeyabalan V, Nouvet E, Meier P, Donelle L. 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. Drones. 2020; 4(3):44. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones4030044