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Working Mechanism
Server End Operation
The central server stores all information like patient records,
images and waveforms, electronically in the EHR system. Some
of the tools in the system software includes, scheduling,
adding new nodes, security etc. which are useful in network
administration and management. The server also supports multiple
accesses of remote ends to the specialty nodes, depending
on the bandwidth and availability of licenses. The software
plug-ins like Cardiology, Radiology, Dermatology, ENT, Ophthalmology,
Pulmonology, Endocrinology, etc ... are all integrated into
server software, depending on the customer requirements.
Remote end Operation
Remote locations here mean small hospital & diagnostic centers. The telemedicine systems in these places are designed to be simple and require very low maintenance. A standard IBM compatible PC is installed with the necessary operating system (windows or equivalent) along with a browser. The medical devices like plus the video conferencing system are connected integrated into one simple system via the PC to the server software.
The Dial up, ISDN or DSL connectivity is used to connect the remote systems with the centralized server. Once the access to the server is established, the relevant components that are needed at the remote end PC are automatically downloaded. This happens only for the first time the remote PC connects to the server. Subsequently, the required controls are stored within the PC and are pulled up automatically on demand. Such architecture keeps the maintenance and service support for the remote simple and less complex.
The doctor / technician at the remote center registers the patient into the system and appends all medical data pertaining to the patient to the server. This gets stored in the central server and through the Space Hospitals streamer, the same data is available for browsing / viewing by a specialist instantaneously. An instant messaging system is also available to SMS or alert the specialist of new incoming data and there by online assistance could be obtained in cases of emergency.
PACS : This type primarily focuses on DICOM and Radiology in addition to the modalities like Cardiology. The server located at this place will have direct connectivity to the modalities like CT/MRI/CR etc.. The Image instance is forwarded to a centralized data server and streamed to the specialist for viewing & reporting.
Specialist End Operation
The specialist terminal, is also a IBM compatible PC with normal (Windows or equivalent OS software), is located either on a LAN - collocated along with the central server.
The medical data from the remote locations online or stored on the server is available to only specialists who have a secured login and password access. When a new patient is referred from remote to a specialist, alerts in the form of SMS, e-mail or paging could be sent. Once the specialist logs in, a user-friendly scheduler tells of the pending cases at a glance. The specialist could then call upon the relevant records or medical information in the form of waveforms or images and type in his / her observations. The referring doctor can access the specialist observations via the server.
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