Title: Telehealth and Telemedicine Sri Lankan Experience of high quality medical image and voice transfer t
1Telehealth and Telemedicine Sri Lankan
Experience of high quality medical image and
voice transfer through internet
- J.U Weerasinghe (Faculty of Dental Sciences,
Peradeniya) - Vajira Dissanayaka (Faculty of Medicine, Colombo)
- Duminda Nishantha, Yukuo Hayashida (SAGA
University, Japan),
WONCA-MESA Informatics Symposium Colombo, 9th
November 2002
2Telehealth and Telemedicine Sri Lankan
Experience of high quality medical image and
voice transfer through internet
- Telehealth
- Telemedicine
- exchange of material offline
- realtime (online) image transfer
- SAGA and Peradeniya
- commercial software
3Telehealth
- Telehealth is using technology to provide medical
care over distance - non-clinical services such as distance medical
education and research - It will allow information to be received by
remote centres
4Telemedicine
- Telemedicine typically involves medical personnel
using images, video and audio facilities either
non-real-time or real-time (online) for remote
consultations. - An expert physician far away can guide the local
medical personnel in treatment planning remotely
5Telemedicine -exchange of material offline
- Store and Forward method
- Local physician sending digital images of
pictures, x-rays, and other patient information
directly to the computer of a specialist. - After reviewing that information, the specialist
then sends the diagnosis back to the local
doctor, who treats the patients and provides
follow-up care. -
6 Telemedicine -realtime (online) image transfer
- need for high quality still images, video and
audio and other electronic material to be
exchanged between the remote center and the
experts using videoconferencing equipment. - experts outside will be able to guide the remote
center
7Telemedicine- non realtimestore and forward
method
- Usage
- Teleradiology
- Telepathology
- Teledermatology
8Telemedicine- non realtimestore and forward
method
- Advantages
- Minimum resources needed
- Regular email attachments could be used
- Disadvantages
- Time delay in response
- Limitation of image quality and size
- Cross checking and feedback will take more time
9Telemedicine -realtime
- Advantages
- Used in many areas of medicine, surgery,
dentistry - accessibility of expert help in remote areas
- Saves time of an expert in frequent travel to
remote areas - permits Continuing Education and training for
practitioners in remote areas - Disadvantages
- Non availability of appropriate technology and
adequate bandwith in the network - Lack of funds for equipment and software
- Lack of technical help
10Sri Lankan Experience of high quality medical
image and voice transfer through internet
Between Medical School Faculty of
Engineering SAGA University-Japan And Faculty of
Dental Sciences - Peradeniya
Department of Oral Surgery Faculty of Dental
Sciences, University of Peradeniya
11SAGA Medical School
SAGA University (Engineering)
Faculty of Dental Sciences- Peradeniya
12Previously used method - Store and Forward
- Images of patients- photographs and radiographs
were exchanged - Non real time method
- Disadvantages-
- Delay in receiving and responding
- Delay in decision making at the remote centre
since they await advice from the expert outside - limitations of commercial email software for
sending large data files
13Realtime image transferusing a dedicated software
14Basic requirements
- RequirementsVideoconferencing equipment
- A Digital Video (DV) camcorder (IEEE1394
interface) - OR Digital camera with USB connection
- with microphone and speakers
- Desktop/ Laptop computer
- Internet access - leased line/ Local Area
Network - Dedicated software
15(No Transcript)
16Shortcomings of commercial software
- The existing commercial applications do not
guarantee the quality of images at low speed
networks because of the streaming technology
employed. only concerns the maintenance of
continuity of images rather than the quality. - such applications do not support an integrated
environment with all the functions required to
carry out medical collaboration - image manipulation, tele-pointing facility on
the image canvas, shared-board - clinicians would prefer a user-friendly operating
environment specifically designed for medical
applications. - Eg- Messenger. Netmeeting, CuSeeMe, freetalk,
17Dedicated Software developed by SAGA
- Connections made by dialing IP address
- Voice transfer full duplex
- Image transfer with following facilities
- Sender and receiving windows
- Shared board facility for image canvas
- Accessing shared files on each computer
- Transfer of powerpoint presentations and playback
- Recording facility of the images received
- User-friendly
18Software Overview
WEB File transfer
IP
Preview Transmit Receiving windows
Transmit from Remote centre
Receiving from Expert abroad
Shared Board
- Image Transceiver software developed in SAGA
19Software Overview
- Transmission of Video as a Series of JPEG Images
- interactive full-duplex voice
- Image quality and image rate can be adjusted
- User Friendly Graphic User Interface
- Shared Board Facility
20Shared Board Facility
Marker from expert
Marker from local team
- Both parties can use markers on the same image
canvas - Allow common base for discussions
- Text typing facility
21WEB Facility
presentation
- File transfer facility
- Powerpoint presentations can be
- transferred and run as a lecture from
- the remote location
- Ideal tool for CME
22Advantages of the system
- Eeconomical and freely available components,
- Operated in both low speed and high speed
networks - User-friendly easy to install and operate
- image software has a Graphical user interface
customized for medical personnel with facilities
such as shared board, transmitting powerpoint
files and multiple image windows.
23Application of the technique
- Between Faculty of Dental Sciences Peradeniya and
SAGA Medical School - An interactive session for JICA trainees in SAGA
was conducted
24Application of the technique locally
- Tested between Faculty of Dental Sciences
Peradeniya and - Faculty of Medicine Peradeniya
- Genetics Unit, Faculty of Medicine- University
of Colombo - Community health and Family Medicine - University
of Kelaniya
25Summary
- This system is for Realtime Telemedicine which
has been tested locally with a dedicated software
designed in JAPAN - It is suitable for low speed networks
- It could be used for Information exchange and
Continuing Education sessions
26Thank You!
- Japan
- Professor Nobumichi Sako - former President of
Saga University - Mr. Minoru Tanaka - Chairman of NetCom Saga
Association - Venture Business Laboratory (VBL) - Saga
University - Prof Takeshi Katsuki - Oral Maxillofacial
Surgeon, SAGA University -
- Sri Lanka
- Prof N A de S Amaratunga - Dean, Faculty of
Dental Sciences, Peradeniya - Dr. Nimal Ratanayaka- the director of the
Internet/communication unit, Faculty of
Engineering, Peradeniya - Dr Toru Nagao- JICA Chief Advisor, Faculty of
Dental Sciences - Mr. Ranjith Abeyratne- Technical Officer,
Faculty of Dental Sciences - Dr Kumara Mendis - Community Medicine and Family
Health Faculty of Medicine, University of
Kelaniya