Implementation challenges of telerobotics in the infectious disease department in Iran: An integrated methodological approach

Background:The implementation of telerobotics in infectious departments of the hospitals causes successful management of diseases and prevention of the spread of infection.Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the challenges of implementing telerobotics in infectious departments in Iran.Methods: The present study is applied research carried out in two phases.In the first phase, the challenges of implementing Telerobotics in infectious departments were extracted through a literature review.Then the collected data were entered into a semi-structured questionnaire.In the second phase, data were collected by purposive sampling and semi structured interviews.A face-to-face interview was conducted with 30 medical staff working in infectious disease departments.Data analysis was conducted by conventional content analysis using MAXQDA software and descriptive using SPSS software. Results:The key challenges in implementing telerobotics in infectious disease departments include technological issues such as inadequate equipment, infrastructure complexity, and data security; organizational barriers like the lack of support from hospital CEOs and the absence of training programs; cultural resistance due to negative past experiences with technology; strategic gaps, including insufficient legal support and incentives; and performance limitations, particularly the inability to establish direct visual contact with patients.Conclusion: Telerobotics offers significant benefits for infectious disease departments, including improved safety and infection control.However, challenges such as technological limitations, organizational resistance, and policy gaps must be addressed to enable successful implementation.Acknowledging these challenges, policymakers can develop appropriate strategies to lay a foundation and adapt telerobotics for successful implementation on both large and local scales.