ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Disaster Emerg. Med.
Sec. Disaster Medicine
This article is part of the Research TopicDigital Innovations in Disaster Response: Bridging Gaps and Saving LivesView all 7 articles
Telemedicine in Humanitarian Aid: Evaluation of Potentials & Challenges and an Implementation Trial in Ukraine
Provisionally accepted
- 1RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- 2Universitatsklinikum Aachen, Aachen, Germany
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Abstract Introduction Providing health care in humanitarian aid missions and conflict settings, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, presents significant logistical and operational challenges. Telemedicine has emerged as a promising tool to support medical personnel in such environments. Methods This study developed a concept for a telemedicine system tailored to humanitarian aid missions. A functioning telemedicine service was implemented and tested under simulated conditions, and its acceptance among medical professionals was assessed through a structured survey. Results The survey revealed high levels of interest and acceptance of telemedicine among medical staff, indicating strong potential for practical application. Key barriers and limitations—such as connectivity issues, training needs, and integration challenges—were identified and analyzed. Conclusions For effective implementation of telemedicine in humanitarian settings, a detailed needs analysis and close integration with existing health care infrastructure are essential. Strategic recommendations are provided to guide future deployments and improve service delivery in conflict zones.
Keywords: Telemedicine, tele-paramedic, humanitarian aid, Civil protection, Ukraine
Received: 04 Oct 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Habers, Müller, Kunczik, Rossaint, Czaplik and Follmann. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Florian Habers, florian.habers@rwth-aachen.de
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