Shortening The Last-Mile: Impact of Zipline Medical Drone Delivery on The Operations of Hard-to-Reach Healthcare Facilities in Northern Ghana.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26437/ajar.v10i1.677Keywords:
Health care. last-mile. medical commodities. Northern Ghana. zipline drone deliveryAbstract
Purpose: This research study investigated the impact of Zipline Medical Drone Delivery on the operations of last-mile healthcare facilities in northern Ghana.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The research study adopted an exploratory research design to determine the impact of Zipline’s medical drone delivery on the operations of last-mile healthcare facilities in Northern Ghana. An online survey questionnaire was deployed to collect quantitative data from 159 trained employees of last-mile health facilities who were selected through a purposive sampling technique from last-mile drone-served healthcare facilities.
Findings: The study established that drone delivery speed, logistics efficiency and availability of drone delivery resources significantly impacted zipline delivery of medical commodities to last-mile public healthcare facilities in Northern Ghana, reducing commodity delivery lead-time and improving access to essential healthcare supplies for efficient service delivery.
Research Limitation/Implications: This research focused mainly on the impact of drone delivery of medical commodities on the operations of last-mile public healthcare facilities in Northern Ghana.
Practical Implications: The results of this study show that by enhancing drone delivery speed, logistics efficiency and drone resource availability, the operations of public healthcare facilities can be improved by ensuring that essential medicines are made available, patient waiting time is significantly reduced and outpatient services are improved.
Social Implication: The study recommends the establishment of a Zipline-Administrators partnership which will eventually result in a reduction of medical commodity lead-time, improved accessibility of patients to essential health commodity supplies and general cost savings to the community.
Originality/Value/Novelty: Although drone technology has been the subject of numerous studies in Ghana, none has investigated the impact of medical commodity drone delivery services on the operations of last-mile healthcare facilities in Northern Ghana. This study therefore explored the impact of drone delivery services from the last-mile healthcare facilities’ perspective.
References
Ackerman, E., & Koziol, M. (2019). The blood is here: Zipline's medical delivery drones are changing the game in Rwanda. IEEE Spectrum, 56 (5), 24-31.
Ackerman, E., & Strickland, E. (2018). Medical delivery drones take flight in east Africa. IEEE Spectrum, 55, (1), 34-35.
Adu-Gyamfi, S., Gyasi, R. M., & Darkwa, B. D. (2021). “Historicizing medical drones in Africa: A focus on Ghana”, History of science and technology, vol. 11, no.1, pp.103-125.
Aggarwal, S., Gupta, P., Mahajan, N., Balaji, S., Singh, K. J., Bhargava, B., & Panda, S. (2023). Implementation of drone-based delivery of medical supplies in North-East India: experiences, challenges and adopted strategies. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1128886.
Amukele, T. (2019). Current state of drones in healthcare: challenges and opportunities. Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, 4,(2), 296-298.
Atiga, O., Walters, J. & Pisa, N. (2023). Challenges of medical commodity availability in public and private health care facilities in the Upper East Region of Ghana: a patient-centred perspective. BMC Health Serv Res (23), 719. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09717-9
Aurambout, J. P., Gkoumas, K., & Ciuffo, B. (2019). Last mile delivery by drones: An estimation of viable market potential and access to citizens across European cities. European Transport Research Review, 11, (1), pp.1-21.
Awad, A., Trenfield, S.J., Pollard, T.D., Ong, J.J., Elbadawi, M., McCoubrey, L.E., Goyanes, A., Gaisford, S. and Basit, A.W., (2021). Connected healthcare: Improving patient care using digital health technologies. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 178, p.113958.
Ayakwah, A., Damoah, I. S., & Osabutey, E. L. (2021). Digitalization in Africa: The case of public programs in Ghana. Business in Africa in the Era of Digital Technology: Essays in Honour of Professor William Darley, pp.7-25.
Ayamga, M., Akaba, S., & Nyaaba, A. A. (2021). Multifaceted applicability of drones: A review. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 167, 120677.
Balasingam, M. (2017). Drones in medicine: the rise of the machines. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 7 (.9), e12989.
Besada, J. A., Bergesio, L., Campaña, I., Vaquero-Melchor, D., López-Araquistain, J., Bernardos, A. M., & Casar, J. R. (2018). Drone mission definition and implementation for automated infrastructure inspection using airborne sensors,” Sensors, 18, (4), p.1170.
Borghetti, F., Caballini, C., Carboni, A., Grossato, G., Maja, R., & Barabino, B. (2022). The Use of Drones for Last-Mile Delivery: A Numerical Case Study in Milan, Italy. Sustainability, 14, 1766.
Braun, J., Gertz, S.D., Furer, A., Bader, T., Frenkel, H., Chen, J., Glassberg, E. & Nachman, D. (2019). The promising future of drones in prehospital medical care and its application to battlefield medicine. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 87 (1), S28-S34.
Cardenas, I., Borbon-Galvez, Y., Verlinden, T., Van de Voorde, E., Vanelslander, T., & Dewulf, W. (2017). City logistics, urban goods distribution and last-mile delivery and collection. Competition and regulation in network industries, 18, (2), 22-43.
Chen, C., Leon, S., & Ractham, P. (2022). Will customers adopt last-mile drone delivery services? An analysis of drone delivery in the emerging market economy. Cogent Business and Management, 9, (1), 2074340.
Claesson, A., Fredman, D., Svensson, L., Ringh, M., Hollenberg, J., Nordberg, P., Rosenqvist, M., Djarv, T., Österberg, S., Lennartsson, J. and Ban, Y., (2016). Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in out-of-hospital-cardiac arrest. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 24, 1-9.
Coccia, M., & Watts, J. (2020). A theory of the evolution of technology: Technological parasitism and the implications for innovation management. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 55, 101552.
Cuong, T. H., & Tien, N. H. (2022). Application of ICT in Logistics and Supply Chain in post-Covid-19 economy in Vietnam. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation, 3 (1),493-451.
Davison, C. M., Bartels, S. A., Purkey, E., Neely, A. H., Bisung, E., Collier, A., ... & Adams, L. V. (2021). Last mile research: a conceptual map. Global health action, 14(1), 1893026.
Debangshi, U. (2021). Drones-Applications in Agriculture. Chronicle of Bioresource Management, 5(Sep, 3), 115-120.
Demuyakor, J. (2020). Ghana Go Digital Agenda: The impact of zipline drone technology on digital emergency health delivery in Ghana. Humanities, 8, (1), 242-53.
Dube, T., Van Eck, R., & Zuva, T. (2020). Review of technology adoption models and theories to measure readiness and acceptable use of technology in a business organization. Journal of Information Technology and Digital World, 2(4), 207-212.
Eichleay, M., Evens, E., Stankevitz, K., & Parker, C. (2019). Using the unmanned aerial vehicle delivery decision tool to consider transporting medical supplies via drone. Global Health: Science and Practice, 7(4), 500-506.
Euchi, J. (2021). Do drones have a realistic place in a pandemic fight for delivering medical supplies in healthcare systems problems?. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, 34(2), 182-190.
Figliozzi, M. A., Tucker, C., & Polikakhina, P. (2018). Drone deliveries logistics, efficiency, safety and last mile trade-offs.
Frachtenberg, E. (2019). Practical drone delivery. Computer, 52(12), 53-57.
Freichel, S. L., Wollenburg, J., & Wörtge, J. K. (2019). The role of packaging in omni-channel fashion retail supply chains: how can packaging contribute to logistics efficiency?. Logistics Research, 13(1), 1-20.
Gabani, P. R., Gala, U. B., Narwane, V. S., Raut, R. D., Govindarajan, U. H., & Narkhede, B. E. (2021). A viability study using conceptual models for last mile drone logistics operations in populated urban cities of India. IET Collaborative Intelligent Manufacturing, 3(3), 262-272.
Ghana Health Service (GHS) (2019). Zipline improves healthcare delivery; wins GHS commendation. [online] available at https://thebftonline.com/2022/08/29/zipline-improves-healthcare-delivery-wins-ghs-commendation/ accessed on (01/02/2023).
GBC (2022). Zipline Center at Walewale support distribution of thousands of Covid Vaccines to North Eastern Gh. [Online] available at https://www.businessghana.com/site/news/general/253958/Zipline-Center-at-Walewale-support-distribution-of-thousands-of-Covid-Vaccines-to-North-Eastern-Gh accessed on (15/05/2023)
Hii, M. S. Y., Courtney, P., & Royall, P. G. (2019). An evaluation of the delivery of medicines using drones. Drones, 3(3), 52.
Horvath, K.J., Bwanika, J.M., Lammert, S., Banonya, J., Atuhaire, J., Banturaki, G., Kamulegeya, L.H., Musinguzi, D. and Kiragga, A.N., (2022). HiSTEP: a single-arm pilot study of a technology-assisted HIV self-testing intervention in Kampala, Uganda,” AIDS and Behavior, (26), (3), 935-946.
Hussin, N., Lim, Y. A. L., Goh, P. P., William, T., Jelip, J., & Mudin, R. N. (2020). Updates on malaria incidence and profile in Malaysia from 2013 to 2017. Malaria Journal, 19 (1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-3135-x
Jain, N. (2022). Are drones the future of last-mile healthcare delivery? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/drones-future-last-mile-healthcare-delivery-neeraj-jain/
Janszen, J., Shahzaad, B., Alkouz, B., & Bouguettaya, A. (2021). Constraint-aware trajectory for drone delivery services. In International Conference on Service-Oriented Computing (pp. 306-310). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Jeon, H. H., Lucarelli, C., Mazarati, J. B., Ngabo, D., & Song, H. (2022). Leapfrogging for Last-mile Delivery in Health Care: Drone Delivery for Blood Products in Rwanda. Available at SSRN 4214918.
Johnson, A. M., Cunningham, C. J., Arnold, E., Rosamond, W. D., & Zègre-Hemsey, J. K. (2021). Impact of using drones in emergency medicine: What does the future hold? Open Access Emergency Medicine: OAEM, 13, 487.
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (2016). Publications, Reports, and Studies [online] Available at https://publichealth.jhu.edu/departments/environmental-health-and-engineering/about/diversity-and-equity-initiatives/resources/publications-reports-and-studies accessed on (31/01/2023)
Kaleta, J. P., Xie, W., & Chen, C. (2023). E-Commerce Drone Delivery Acceptance: A Study of Gen Z's Switching Intention. Journal of Information Systems Applied Research, 16(3).
Kellermann, R., Biehle, T., & Fischer, L. (2020). Drones for parcel and passenger transportation: A literature review. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 4, 100088.
Kim, J. H. (2019). Multicollinearity and misleading statistical results. Korean Journal of anesthesiology, 72(6), 558.
Kitonsa, H., & Kruglikov, S. V. (2018). Significance of drone technology for the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals. R-economy. 4, (3), 115-120.
Klar, S., & Leeper, T. J. (2019). Identities and intersectionality: a case for Purposive sampling in Survey‐Experimental research. Experimental methods in survey research: Techniques that combine random sampling with random assignment, 419-433.
Knoblauch, A.M., de la Rosa, S., Sherman, J., Blauvelt, C., Matemba, C., Maxim, L., Defawe, O.D., Gueye, A., Robertson, J., McKinney, J. & Brew, J., (2019). Bi-directional drones to strengthen healthcare provision: experiences and lessons from Madagascar, Malawi and Senegal. BMJ Global Health, 4,(4) e001541.
Kornatowski, P. M., Bhaskaran, A., Heitz, G. M., Mintchev, S., & Floreano, D. (2018). Last-centimetre personal drone delivery: Field deployment and user interaction. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 3(4), 3813-3820.
Lamptey, E., & Serwaa, D. (2020). The use of zipline drones technology for COVID-19 samples transportation in Ghana. HighTech and Innovation Journal, 1(2), 67-71.
Lin, C. A., Shah, K., Mauntel, L. C. C., & Shah, S. A. (2018). Drone delivery of medications: Review of the landscape and legal considerations. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 75,(3) 153–158. http://doi:10.2146/ajhp170196
Ling, G., & Draghic, N. (2019). Aerial drones for blood delivery. Transfusion, 59, (2), 1608-1611.
Macioszek, E. (2018). First and last mile delivery–problems and issues. In Advanced Solutions of Transport Systems for Growing Mobility: 14th Scientific and Technical Conference. Transport Systems. Theory & Practice 2017 Selected Papers, 147-154. Springer International Publishing.
Middleton, F. (2022). Reliability vs. Validity in Research, Difference, Types and Examples [online] https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/reliability-vs-validity/ (accessed 18 September 2022).
Ministry of Health (MOH) (2023). Ghana’s Medical Drone Delivery System takes off [Online] available at https://www.moh.gov.gh/ghanas-medical-drone-delivery-system-takes-off/ Accessed on (15/05/2023)
Ministry of Health (2019). Health Ministry signs MoU to deploy drone technology. https://www.moh.gov.gh/health-ministry-signs-mou-to-deploy-drone-technology/
Ministry of Health (MoH) (2022). Fly-To-Save-A-Life Project is complementary to the existing health system. https://www.moh.gov.gh/fly-to-save-a-life-project-complementary-to-the-existing-health-system/
Nguyen, T. H., Asif, J., Kweh, Q. L., & Ting, I. W. K. (2023). Firm efficiency and corporate performance: the moderating role of controlling shareholders. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Nisingizwe, M.P., Ndishimye, P., Swaibu, K., Nshimiyimana, L., Karame, P., Dushimiyimana, V., Musabyimana, J. P., Musanabaganwa, C., Nsanzimana, S. & Law, M.R., (2022). Effect of unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) delivery on blood product delivery time and wastage in Rwanda: a retrospective, cross-sectional study and time series analysis. The Lancet Global Health, 10, (4), e564-e569.
Nouvet, E., Knoblauch, A.M., Passe, I., Andriamiadanarivo, A., Ravelona, M., Ramtariharisoa, F.A., Razafimdriana, K., Wright, P. C., McKinney, J., Small, P.M. & Rakotosamimanana, N., (2019). Perceptions of drones, digital adherence monitoring technologies and educational videos for tuberculosis control in remote Madagascar: a mixed-method study protocol. BMJ open. 9 (5), e028073.
Nur, F., Alrahahleh, A., Burch, R., Babski-Reeves, K., & Marufuzzaman, M. (2020). Last mile delivery drone selection and evaluation using the interval-valued inferential fuzzy TOPSIS. Journal of Computational Design and Engineering, 7(4), 397-411.
Nyaaba, A. A., & Ayamga, M. (2021). Intricacies of medical drones in healthcare delivery: Implications for Africa. Technology in Society, vol.66, p.101624.
Patil, R. (2021). The Future of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) after COVID19 Pandemic. International Journal of Engineering and Applied Physics, 1 (3), 242-271.
Patowary, M. M. I., Peulers, D., Richter, T., Melovic, A., Nilsson, D., & Söilen, K. S. (2023). Improving last-mile delivery for e-commerce: the case of Sweden. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 26, (7), 872-893.
Rebeiz, M. C., El‐Kak, F., van den Akker, T., Hamadeh, R., & McCall, S. J. (2023). Maternal mortality is preventable in Lebanon: A case series of maternal deaths to identify lessons learned using the “Three Delays” model. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Rogers, E. M. (1987). The diffusion of innovations perspective. Taking care: Understanding and encouraging self-protective behaviour, 79-94.
Sachdeva, N., Rathore, A. K., Sondhi, N., & Bamel, U. (2023). Manifestation of customer value co-creation behaviour in the automobile industry: a perspective from Twitter analytics. Electronic Commerce Research, 1-38.
Schroeder, N. M., Panebianco, A., Gonzalez Musso, R., & Carmanchahi, P. (2020). An experimental approach to evaluate the potential of drones in terrestrial mammal research: A gregarious ungulate as a study model. Royal Society Open Science, 7, (1), 191482.
Scott, J.E. & Scott, C.H. (2020). Drone Delivery Models for Medical Emergencies. In: Wickramasinghe, N., Bodendorf, F. (eds) Delivering Superior Health and Wellness Management with IoT and Analytics. Healthcare Delivery in the Information Age, 69-85, Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17347-0_3
Sheng, Y. P., & Kim, Y. J. (2021). An Analysis of the Logistics Efficiency of Shanghai Port for Global Supply Chain. Journal of Distribution Science, 19 (7), 29-39.
Shkeer, A. S., & Awang, Z. (2019). Exploring the items for measuring the marketing information system construct: An exploratory factor analysis. International Review of Management and Marketing, 9 (6), 87.
Shrestha, N. (2020). Detecting multicollinearity in regression analysis,” American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 8 (2), 39-42.
Snouffer, E. (2022). Six places where drones are delivering medicines. Nat. Med, 28 (5), 874-875.
Stubbs, J (2019). Zipline Launches Drone Delivery Service in Ghana. https://borgenproject.org/tag/zipline-in-ghana/
Sumah, B., Masudin, I., Zulfikarijah, F., & Restuputri, D. P. (2020). Logistics management and electronic data interchange effects on logistics service providers’ competitive advantage. Journal of Business and Economic Analysis, 3 (2),171-194.
Tahar, A., Riyadh, H. A., Sofyani, H., & Purnomo, W. E. (2020). Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived security and intention to use e-filing: The role of technology readiness. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business (JAFEB), 7 (9), 537-547.
Taherdoost, H. (2018). A review of technology acceptance and adoption models and theories. Procedia manufacturing, 22, 960-967.
Triche, R. M., Greve, A. E., & Dubin, S. J. (2020). UAVs and their role in the health supply chain: A case study from Malawi. International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS) (1241-1248). IEEE.
USAID (2019). Regulation of drug shops and pharmacies in family planning: A scan of 32 developing countries, Washington DC, USA. http://www.shopspluspproject.org/resource-cemter/regulation-drug-shops-and-pharmacies-relevant-farm
Yoo, H. D., & Chankov, S. M. (2018). Drone-delivery using autonomous mobility: An innovative approach to future last-mile delivery problems. IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (ieem) ( 1216-1220). IEEE.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 AFRICAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
By submitting and publishing your articles in the African Journal of Applied Research, you agree to transfer the copyright of the Article from the authors to the Journal ( African Journal of Applied Research).
