XML and Standards Rescue Ship-to-Shore Telemedicine
Until recently, if you were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and a medical problem arose, that was only the beginning of your problems. Most cruise ships have a general physician on board, but there aren't any specialists available, and often, merchant ships won't have a physician on board at all.
In some cases, remote doctors and patients have been assisted by telemedicine solutions, which traditionally have used video conferencing technology over high-bandwidth connections to transmit video, voice and data. But the video conferencing workstations for these systems usually require an ATM or ISDN connection, as well as dedicated data lines, modems, boards, and software. Such systems can run as high at $60,000 each, placing them well out of the reach of many potential users.
JABR Technology, a year-old Boston-based company, has developed Consult98, a telemedicine system which operates using standard data formats and protocols over the Internet. This solution dramatically lowers the cost of telemedicine by replacing costly workstations with a $500 digital camera and a PC. Additionally, and instead of requiring high-bandwidth connections, Consult98 works using a simple e-mail account.
Consult98 improves specialty medical care by allowing primary care physicians and providers to obtain Web-based consultations from specialists. Consult98 accepts consultations over the Internet using both the Web and e-mail. Privacy of patient information is ensured by high grade encryption through use of the IPsec protocol, authentication and access control.
