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Clearing for takeoff: exploring barriers and enablers to medical drone integration
Aleksandra Tanaka1, Alasdair Purves2, Elinor Thomas2
1Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK and North Wales Medical School, Bangor, UK tanakaa@cardiff.ac.uk.
Background:
Over recent decades, drones have gained prominence in discussions surrounding health innovation, demonstrating the potential to overcome logistical barriers in 'last-mile' medical deliveries. Global case studies have highlighted their ability to enhance accessibility and support sustainable healthcare delivery. Yet, despite this promise, widespread integration of drones into routine health systems lags behind research and remains limited.
Aim:
To identify key enabling and limiting factors influencing the integration of medical drones into healthcare delivery systems.
Method:
Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in medical drone projects were analysed using Greenhalgh's NASSS framework to identify contextual, technological, and organisational factors affecting drone adoption into healthcare systems.
Results:
Preliminary findings indicate that airspace regulation represents one of the most significant barriers to medical drone implementation across the globe. In particular, the absence of permanent supportive policies for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations restricts scalability and integration into real-world health systems. Nevertheless, BVLOS is widely considered as the next logical regulatory step alongside the maturation of drone technologies. Following on, limitations such as battery performance, payload safety standards, and operational risks also significantly influence widespread adoption. Again, these are seen to potentially diminish with technological progression and progressive policy-making. Additionally, community engagement and education were found to underpin public acceptability, particularly in rural or technologically underserved regions.
Conclusion:
Medical drone integration is currently constrained by primarily regulatory and technological factors. Addressing these remains fundamental for drone adoption, which presents a sustainable and equitable solution for healthcare logistics and in strengthening accessibility.
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