HD videoconferencing in the healthcare sector

It has been possible to conduct meetings remotely for some time now but High Definition makes it increasingly interesting for healthcare institutions to utilise videoconferencing on a large scale.

HD videoconferencing enables specialists to significantly improve their treatment of patients. They have more time to deal with the patient because the system is very close to actual face-to-face contact. Sharing knowledge and know-how remotely is also more effective; with HD videoconferencing, an ear operation, for example, can be viewed and discussed in detail.

HD videoconferencing requires an extremely fast Internet connection, specifically so as to minimise the delay between two conference sets. Significantly more equipment is also required than just a webcam. Nevertheless, the investment involved more than pays for itself, quite simply because it makes it possible to provide better patient care.

SURFnet is encouraging the use of HD videoconferencing in healthcare with its SURFcontact services.

Application areas

There are a number of application areas that make HD videoconferencing extremely interesting for the healthcare sector.

Teleconsulting

Specialists at university hospitals can hold consultation sessions remotely at other hospitals in the region. Travelling to those hospitals would take up a lot of their time and it is much more convenient to conduct the consultation session from where the specialist is based.

Teleconferencing

Meetings frequently need to take place between the various departments of a hospital and this often requires those concerned to travel back and forth between two hospital locations. HD videoconferencing makes it possible to hold such meetings online and also to display a wide range of supplementary information on the screen, for example PowerPoint presentations, patient files, microscope slides, or pictures of operations.

Teleteaching

HD videoconferencing is also extremely useful for knowledge transfer and for educational use. Surgeons can demonstrate operations to colleagues or to students, with a simultaneous commentary, and those watching can ask questions. The high image quality means that the smallest details of the operation can be viewed.