This document provides an overview of the design and implementation of a wireless IP telephony system for telemedicine services in Bangladesh. It discusses:
1. The history and components of telemedicine and how IP telephony works.
2. The proposed design of a prototype wireless IP telephony system for telemedicine, which would enable integrated voice and data transmission for flexible medical services.
3. Some of the technical problems and economic aspects of implementing such a wireless IP telemedicine system, as well as the benefits to patients, practitioners, and telemedicine services.
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Rehana Zakia (063411056)
1. Assignment on IP Telephony
ETE-605
Design & Implementation of a Wireless IP Telephony
Solution for Telemedicine Service
Submitted by
Rehana Zakia
Id:063411056
Section-ETE-605[2]
North South University
Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering
Department
2. SI no TOPIC Page no
1 Introduction 1
2 1.1 IP Telephony Architecture 2
3 1.2 Telemedicine & Tele-health 2
4 1.3 Components of a telemedicine system 3
5 1.4 Telemedicine service in Bangladesh 4
6 1.5 Benefits of Telemedicine 4
7 1.6 Benefits to the Patient 5
8 1.7 Benefits to Practitioners 5
9 1.8 Telemedicine Services 5
10 1.9 Telemedicine and Bangladesh 6
11 2. History of Telemedicine 7
12 3. Implementation & the design of a Wireless IP 9
Telephony System for Telemedicine service
13 3.1 Wireless IP Telemedicine System 9
14 3.2 System design of a independent wireless IP 11
for Wide Area Network:
15 3.3 The wireless IP Telephony system 11
16 3.4 The RTB2400 wireless router 12
17 3.5 IP Telephony gateway 13
18 3.6 Results and Discussion 14
19 3.7 Technical features 14
20 3.8 Clinical benefits 15
21 3.9 Cost analysis 15
22 4. Issue of Broadband health services over 16
wireless networks
23 5. Conclusions 16
24 References 17
3. 1. Introduction:
International Internet Telephony has been evolving since its introduction in 1996.
In 1996, the typical player was someone like Delta Three, who used the Internet as a
backbone network, used agreements with local ISPs to “graymarket” terminate traffic in a
country, such as Columbia or Israel, and then used a VocalTec type gateway to
interconnect the local call with an E&M or R2 type signaling. Today, four years later,
there is a clear segmentation of models. At one extreme is the extension of the Delta
Three approach still being provided by Delta Three as well as Ibasis and ITXC.
Internet Protocol or IP was originally designed in support of U.S military and
higher education data networks and was migrated into general business usage in 1990s. In
most cases, IP is used in conjunction with other protocols, such as the Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP). The term TCP/IP actually refers to a suite of protocols, which in
most cases are incorporated into the host’s operating system. Here we implement and
design a Wireless IP Telephony solution for Telemedicne Service.
The movement of telemedicine to wireless and Internet Protocol(IP) based
applications is imminent in the next few years. This migration from desktop platforms to
wireless and mobile configurations will have a significant impact on future healthcare
delivery systems and their globalization. Wireless and IP based telecommunications
networks will significantly enhance the current methodologies of telemedicine and
telecare systems that are not possible with conventional telephony.
Here we propose and describe the design of a prototype wireless IP telephony
system for telemedicine. It enables integrated voice and data transmission in a wireless
and mobile environment. The preliminary results show that it is possible to provide stable
IP connectivity for highly flexible medical services that are not possible with
conventional telephony. Here we present and analyze some of the technical problems and
economic aspects associated with the implementation of wireless IP telemedicine system.
The beginning of the new millennium is a time to look back from where we have
come and to dream of where we wish to go. For those in health care, the scientific
triumph of the past such as the eradication of polio and small pox, point to a future, when
closing the health gap between the “haves and have nots” through out the world including
Bangladesh is possible. Imagine a world, where no matter who we are and where we are.
We get the health care we need, when we need it. Technologies such as interactive video
conferencing, the internet, store and forward imaging, streaming media, satellite and
other wireless communication networks already exist and can deliver health services and
education over vast distances.
1
4. 1.1 IP Telephony Architecture :
Figure1: The components of an IP Telephony architecture
Figure1 shows the components of an IP Telephony architecture and the manner in
which it inter-operates with the PSTN system. A key entity in the architecture is the IP
Telephony Gateway (ITG) which provides interoperability between PC based IP
Telephony users and PSTN endpoints. An ITG operates at the application level, with
connectivity to the PSTN on one side and the Internet on the other. To connect to a PSTN
endpoint, an IP host first connects to an ITG, which terminates the IP portion of the call
and initiates a PSTN call to the PSTN endpoint by allocating one of its many circuits
(voice ports) to the call. To perform the function as an application level proxy each ITG
is capable of initiating and terminating IP Telephony signaling protocols, such as H.323
and/or the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the Signaling System7 (SS7) protocol.
1.2 Telemedicine & Tele-health:
Telemedicine is the practice of medical care using audio, visual and data
communications; this includes medical care delivery, consultation, diagnosis, treatment,
education and the transfer of medical data.
Tele-health is an expansion of the functionality of telemedicine. Unlike
telemedicine (which focuses on the curative aspect) it also encompasses preventive,
promotion and curative aspects. Originally used to describe administrative or educational
functions related to telemedicine; today the emphasis is on practicing tele-health and not
telemedicine12 . This paper focuses primarily on e-health as an emerging trend and new
paradigm for providing better, more efficient and effective healthcare services. The
following section describes why e-health is an emerging topic, followed by analysis on
limitations and challenges posed by telemedicine and tele-health initiatives.
Telemedicine is the investigation, monitoring and management of patients and the
education of patients and medical staff, which allow easy access to expert advice and
patient information, no matter where the patient or relevant information is located.
2
5. For more than 30 years, clinicians, health service providers, researchers and
others have been investigating the use of advanced telecommunication and information
technologies to improve health care. At the intersection of many of these efforts lies
telemedicine a combination of innovative and mainstream technologies. Telemedicine is
the use of electronic information and communication technologies to provide and support
health care when distance separates the participants. It is the use of information in
conjunction with communication systems to provide healthcare support remotely.
1.3 Components of a telemedicine system:
Three main components of a telemedicine system:
1. The Telemedicine Service Taker (Patients)
2. The Telemedicine Service Provider (Doctors inside/ outside country)
3. The Telemedicine Network
Distance Separates Tre atment provider and
who need it
Telemedicine Telemedicine Telemedicine
Service taker Network Service
Medical Medical Provider
Remote Pateints Data Data
Transfer Transfer Doctors
Hospitals
Second Opinion
Other Telemedicine Networks of
the World
Fig: Schematic Diagram of a Telemedicine System
3
6. 1.4 Telemedicine service in Bangladesh:
The potential number of telemedicine service takers in Bangladesh is considering
not only the number of patients who go outside for major surgical operation but also by
recognizing the high number of patients going outside for initial or follow-up cjheck.
There are two existing telemedicine service provider in Bangladesh. First one is
Bangladesh Telemedicine Services (BTS) a subsidiary of Comfort Hospital located in
Green Road. The second one is Delta Telemedicine Limited (DTL) of Delta Network
service (DNS) groups an IT business company.
1.5 Benefits of Telemedicine :
The people who responsible for health care planning may wish to take
telemedicine into account within the framework of the national health policy and that
planners should consider at least four aspects of health care where telemedicine could
play a role. The benefits of telemedicine are given below:
1.5.1 Administrative:
Telemedicine could help in the administrative tasks involved in implementing national
health policies.
1.5.2 Reinforcing national health structures:
Telemedicine could help improve linkages between rural district hospitals and the main
national hospitals using telecommunications.
1.5.3 Education:
Telemedicine services could help provide training and education to health-care
professionals in rural areas.
1.5.4 Quality and efficiency of health-care services:
The importance of establishing a national telemedicine policy and/or strategy in the
context of a national “health for all” policy could identify health-care priorities and could
include consideration about how telecommunications facilities for telemedicine can be
funded.
1.6 Benefits to the Patient:
?? Fewer patients need to be referred to urban hospitals which saves time and money
spent on travel and which reduces the stress when family members are separated.
?? Rapid access to tertiary center health resources.
?? Remain close to home where family and friends can provide support.
?? Avoids costly and traumatic patient transfer when possible.
?? Receiving facility can coordinate preparation and transfer of patient
4
7. 1.7 Benefits to Practitioners:
??Access to real-time specialty consultations.
??Assists with maintaining primary provider skills during consultation.
??Improves access to continuing education opportunities without absence from
practice.
??Enables professional networking and collegial support.
??Health care professionals can keep up to date through access to the latest
information.
1.8 Telemedicine Services:
There are many application of telemedicine well recognized in many developed
and developing countries. Major telemedicine services are as follows:
? Patient Care
?
? Professional Medical Education
?
? Clinical Research
?
? Public Health
?
? Patient Education
?
? Virtual Medical Conferencing
?
1.8.1 Patient Care:
The Primary initiative behind the development of this technology was to provide
patient care. It remains to be the main focus, although newer applications now share the
mainstream utility. The list of beneficiaries is unending; those in the rural areas, those
trapped in disasters, those limited physically, or due to physiological reasons, or any
other factors, are all to avail of this new technology.
1.8.2 Professional Medical Education:
This ranges from group teaching of qualified clinicians at continued education
programs, to individual monitoring and instruction at distant education programs. Also
included in the same spectrum is the on-line information and education resources. The
clinicians interested in exploring new cases can at the same time have access to the
patient and sources of E.B.M (Evidence Based Medicine).
The consultant, as he sees a new case (and wishes to probe the diagnostic criteria,
treatment, investigative rules or other issues of clinical management) can take support
from these sources of E.B.M while the patient is being observed and the diagnosis made
the system can be fed with the needed information. By the time the patient is observed,
data can be collected for evidence base of medicine and proved to the physician as and
when he wishes to search it.
5
8. 1.8.3 Clinical Research:
Medical cases and patient data can be aggregated from multiple sites. It will
broaden the scope and horizon of research, as collection of cases will n more be limited
o
to local clinics only but extended to remote sites (cities, countries, continents). Also, the
research can be conducted much more easily and inexpensively, by co-ordinating efforts
at various research sites.
1.8.4 Public Health:
Its scope in terms of epidemiology and public health policy is a possible
application with shared data resources ( and data banks). The organizations which agree
to participate in sharing their data can play a vital role in this respect. Another dimension
of the same application is offering the data and knowledge through various channels. The
availability of data sets and health indicators by World Health Organization (WHO), on
the internet sites is one example.
1.8.5 Patient Education:
This is a field of application already explored at a not so professional but wider
scale on the internet. There are numerous web-sites on the internet offering health care
tips to users. At present some of them are on cost and others are free services. People can
be brought to discuss medical issues that they do not wish to, or hesitate to, discuss even
with their regular practitioners. Such have been successful more in the developing
countries with strong cultural taboos. General public is invited on an unmoderated
mailing list to discuss matters regarding health and offered to pose their queries to the
professionals on the list. It was observed that not only did they discuss specific health
matters concerns but also general issues like family planning, breast feeding, AIDS
(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and Hepatitis B infection etc.
1.8.6 Virtual Medical Conferencing:
This application is more of academic interest than a direct patient utilization. It is
a method of conducting conferences in virtual reality. The participants, the conductors or
the attendants, nobody shares one roof. Everybody is using his/her own work place, and
his/her respective workstation. They are connected together so that each one is in direct
contact with the other. Even the question answer sessions can be conducted
conventionally. The major saving is that of the cost of attendance, the cost of
arrangement and the effort. Such is a possible substitute to academic conferences and
seminars with participants of distant education.
1.9 Telemedicine and Bangladesh:
Bangladesh, being a developing country is medically under served in many
aspects including but not limited to medical resources, expertise, budgetary constraints,
6
9. inadequate infrastructure, poor coordination of development projects, absence of referral
system and medical records. Patient have to go through same investigations repeatedly
and there is no approved mechanism for management of patients in remote areas in
Bangladesh. Over all situation compels patients to seek advanced diagnostics and
treatment services in neighboring countries often leading to sell their earthly possessions
to go through such involuntary practices, not to mention draining of a huge amount of
foreign currency from the national reserve. With the nations health care system
undergoing profound changes and experiencing relentless financial pressures,
telemedicine can be investigated in Bangladesh for its utility in urban as well as rural
settings. To the extent that telemedicine offers a mechanism for centralizing specialists
and supporting primary care clinicians, managed care plans in Bangladesh may find
certain applications efficient and attractive in the cities and suburbs where their patients
are concentrated.
2. History of Telemedicine:
It is very surprising that telemedicine started back in the year 1959. The early
telemedicine was proved to be technically feasible but the cost was beyond the means of
integration in to the health care delivery mechanism. In 1990s due to sustainability and
affordability of telecommunication and computer technologies, telemedicine become the
choice of effective health care delivery to distant medically under served communities,
like the remote rural areas of Bangladesh. In 1959, the first successfully accomplished
documented use of visual telecommunication for health care by Nebraska University
College Medicine.
In 1959, Cecil Whittson established the functional telemedicine program. This
program focused on psychiatric patients care and medical education. For patient care,
telemedicine was used for group therapy. The system was also used to instruct the
medical students by connecting clients and classroom.
Telemedicine Reference Center Ltd. (TRCL), Dhaka Bangladesh. In 2000, after
41 years of first functional telemedicine program in USA, TRCL of Dhaka, Bangladesh
documented successful teleconsultation for a lung cancer patient with the same
University of Nebraska, College of Medicine (University of Nebraska Medical Center).
Many Bangladeshi physicians and surgeons were practicing informal teleconsultation
with their colleges in different countries. But a more formal approach was taken only
since 1999. Approaches include:
??1999:
At the end of 1999 the CRP in Savar established telemedicine link with the Royal
Navy Hospital, Haslar, UK using a digital camera and satellite telephone.
??July 1999:
TRCL started feasibility study and infrastructure development to establish
national and international telemedicine services.
7
10. ??OCT 1999:
TRCL got registered as a limited liability company in Bangladesh.
??Mid 2000:
Grameen Communications took rural telehealth initiatives.
??January25, 2001:
TRCL demonstrated telemedicine system in the US Trade Show 2001 in Dhaka
using lcare software and normal Internet connection & started test run of the
system between US and Bangladeshi physicians.
Telemedicine is becoming an important tool for delivery of health care to distant
places, where medical resources are scarce or even absent. The developed countries like
US, UK, Canada, Australia and other European countries have already made telemedicine
their most precious tool for development of application for medical sciences for today
and for future. Some countries are working for appropriate robotic surgery, which
indicates their willingness to use telemedicine as their next generation of medical
scientific development. The successful application of robotic telepathology system in
many countries is yet another proof of success in the field of telemedicine. Following
initiatives in different parts of the world gives fair view of what is happening around us:
?? Trans Continental:
North American Telemedicine Network, Telemetics Application Program, Europath,
Australian telemedicine network.
?? National:
Canadian telehealth Program, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India
and many other countries.
?? Associations:
American Telemedicine association, United Kingdom Telemedicine Association,
International Society for Telemedicine, Canadian Society for Telehealth, Japanese
Telemedicine Society, etc.
Above-mentioned telemedicine initiatives and association are a result of active
integration of the system in different countries of the world. Recently, our neighbors,
India and Nepal have taken in to serious consideration of integrating telemedicine
technologies. India is usually pioneers new technology development in this region and in
telemedicine there is no exception. The Center for Development of Advanced Computing
under the ministry of information Technology of India has released telemedicine
application software for nationwide application of the technology, which is called
Mercury. Indian government is giving maximum priority to this technology in order to
distribute health care effectively to distant communities.
However, Telemedicine is no more in its infancy. It has got its momentum even in
our neighboring countries. It proved its effectiveness in many other countries, where
8
11. health care services delivery to distant and backward communities were distant dreams.
We have a vast community of more than 130 million people with very minimum medical
resources. The available medical resources need to be distributed among other parts of
the country, where even very poor road communication is further complicated by huge
numbers of rivers and canals. Distribution of medical care is a great challenge in a
country like Bangladesh. Most medical experts principally work in the major cities
leaving the distant communities in a hopeless situation. People often become frustrated
and travel to foreign countries in search for better diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
The enormous migration of patients from one place to another causes great suffering and
pain to the families with sick people thus causing negative impact in the national
economy.
3. Design & Implementation of a Wireless IP Telephony System for
Telemedicine service:
The movement of telemedicine to wireless and Internet Protocol (IP) based
applications is imminent in the next few years. This migration from desktop platforms to
wireless and mobile configurations will have a significant impact on future healthcare
delivery systems and their globalization. Wireless and IP-based telecommunications
networks will significantly enhance the current methodologies of telemedicine and
telecare systems that are not possible with conventional telephony. Here we showed and
describe the design of a prototype wireless IP elephony system for telemedicine. It
enables integrated voice and data transmission in a wireless and mobile environment. The
preliminary results show that it is possible to provide stable IP connectivity for highly
flexible medical services that are not possible with conventional telephony. It will present
and analyze some of the technical problems and economic aspects associated with the
implementation of wireless IP telemedicine system. Recommendations on future research
directions will also be discussed. Key words are wireless IP, telemedicine, IP telephony,
Voice over IP, wireless broadband multimedia communications
The recent advances in telemedicine applications are propelled by two converging
trends: advances in enabling Internet and telecommunications technologies and the
increasing demand for access to high-quality medical care irrespective of location or
geographical mobility.
3.1 Wireless IP Telemedicine System:
Wireless telemedicine is a new and evolving research area that exploits recent
advances in wireless telecommunications networks. Conventional telemedicine systems
using public switched telephone network (PSTN) are already available for a doctor to
deliver medical diagnosis and education remotely. Wireless and mobile systems provide
further flexibility, wider coverage and new applications for telemedicine. For these
reasons, the next step in the evolution of telemedicine will be wireless telemedicine
systems, and the advantages in wireless and mobile telecommunications technologies will
enable swift and better healthcare delivery, regardless any geographical barriers, and time
9
12. and mobility constraints . In the last couple of years, IP telephony has seen a tremendous
surge in interest. Known as voice over IP (VoIP), it promises to deliver real-time, two-
way, synchronous voice and data traffic over packet-switched IP-based networks.
Supporting telephony services over IP network is considered a promising trend in the
telecommunications business. It has been increasingly used as alternatives to the
traditional circuitswitched networks for carrying voice traffic . IP-based networks
represent the future trends towards convergence of the public switched telephone network
(PSTN), mobile network, fixed wireless and the Internet in the communication industry.
With the second-generation mobile networks shifting to IP platforms as the deployment
of 3G systems, IP appears to have emerged as the unifying platform for all forms of
communications. Because IP technology uses network capacity more efficiently, it has
the potential to provide reduced cost, greater flexibility, better manageability and
enhanced services.
The IP telephony technology can be extended to create limitless possibilities for
the transmission of voice alone, or in combination with any other digitizable information.
These features are essential for telemedicine to deliver integrated multimedia medical
information to the underserved population or any other people in need. IP telephony has
reached a certain level of maturity in the technology area as well as in the market place.
There already exist several protocols that aid in delivering the promise of IP telephony.
However, until recently, wireless and mobility issues have not been investigated
in detail within the scope of IP telephony, and the main focus has been on fixed IP
telephony systems. In light of the current convergence trend of wireless communications
and IP-based technology, we have proposed and tested a wireless access IP telephony
solution for telemedicine applications. The solution combines a wireless router
manufactured by Root, Inc. with an IP telephony system from OSI Plus Co., producing a
scalable communications solution for healthcare institutions. In the following sections,
we try to discuss and analyze the challenges and opportunities brought about by wireless
IP telephony for the future healthcare delivery systems.
10
13. 3.2 System design of a independent wireless IP for Wide Area Network:
The most important advantage of wireless IP telephony system for telemedicine is
given below:
1. The integrated transmission of voice traffic,
2. Patients’ images and demographic data.
An independent wireless IP wide area network (WAN) has been proposed and tested for
telemedicine applications.
Fig. 1 Wireless IP telephony WAN for telemedicine
Figure 1 illustrates an outline of the wireless IP telephony system for
telemedicine.
3.3 The wireless IP Telephony system:
The wireless IP telephony system is based on the integration of two advanced
products:
1. The RTB2400 wireless router and
2. The IP Phone 323 software.
The RTB2400 is manufactured by Root, Inc., a Tokyo-based R&D firm founded
in 1993. IP Phone 323 is a software product of OSI Plus Corporation, a KDD subsidiary.
The RTB2400 and IP Phone 323 have already been used in many applications
independently. IP Phone 323 has been put into operation by several IP telephony carriers
in the world, including KDD. The RTB2400 has been used to establish several wireless
networks in Japan, including a wireless Intranet connecting medical facilities at the
Itabashi Health Care Center in Tokyo.
11
14. 3.4 The RTB2400 wireless router:
Fig.2 RTB2400 wireless router manufactured by Root Inc.
The RTB2400 wireless router, which functions as a receive/transmit terminal as
well as a repeater, provides circular coverage with a radius of 3km (5km using a
unidirectional antenna) when configured in compliance with Japanese regulations on
frequency use and maximum transmission power. If higher power is allowed the wireless
reach can be much longer. The transmission speed of the RTB2400 router can reach
2Mbit/s with a TCP/IP platform. The entire IP-based wireless WAN covers an area with a
radius of 15 km. The network topology adopts a flat connectivity between the scattering
nodes.
In contrast to the general-purpose wireless LAN which adopts a hierarchical
connectivity, the topology of the wireless IP WAN for telemedicine allows several path
options between the nodes to transmit voice and data traffic. This approach offers greater
resiliency, more flexible node locations, and better traffic distribution than the ordinary
wireless network topology. The network capacity has been exploited with improved
efficiency. Since the wireless WAN is IP-based, it can be easily interconnected via a
gateway with any public and dedicated networks, including intranets, Internet, PSTN,
ISDN, and/or even a satellite link. Local, long-distance and international telephone/video
conferencing can be carried out through the gateway connected to the public telephone
networks or the Internet.
12
15. Fig.(3) Network topology of the wireless LAN
The wireless IP telephony system consists of multiple Client Stations managed
and monitored by computers located at a Center Station. At the Client Station, the
wireless router equipment consists of an antenna, a main unit, a junction unit, and
interconnection cables.
3.5 IP Telephony gateway:
An IP telephony gateway is connected to the router equipment using a 10Base-T
interface. The gateway contains two ports, each of which can be connected to a standard
telephone set or a lap-top computer. The main Center Station houses a management
server for the IP telephony network and an SNMP server to monitor the wireless router
network. The IP telephony management server has the capacity to serve a large number
of unit systems. Local Center Stations can be established at appropriate client sites.
The minimum configuration requires to establish a network consists of two Client
Stations and a Center Station. In terms of equipment, a minimal network requires at least
three wireless routers and three IP telephony gateways, supporting between three and five
telephone lines (including one at the Center Station). IP Phone 323 is installed on a
personal computer (PC) server. The software can respond flexibly to the needs of the
network functions. Multimedia computers can be set up at each node to serve as the
communication platform to integrate the voice and data traffic and transmit them through
the wireless IP telemedicine system. If only voice communication is desired, a typical
telephone set is enough. The equipment used at each site occupies limited space and can
be loaded on an ambulance. The ambulance is then turned into a mobile Client Station.
The system configuration is simple, expandable, and do not require too much capital
investment.
13
16. 3.6 Results and Discussion:
From the above discussion we can consider the following issue:
?? The wireless IP telephony system investigated provides voice communication as
its basic service. Analog voice signals are converted into digital data, compressed,
segmented into packets, added an IP address, and then distributed over the wireless IP
network.
?? the receiving station, the compressed digital data are extracted and converted
On
back into analog signals meaningful to humans. Since the network system is based on IP
telephony technology, normal PCs and other electronic devices that use TCP/IP can
easily be operated on the current network. Internet telephony software can integrate the
voice and data traffic over the computers.
?? Multimedia communication services including data, video, audio and image
transmission are provided through this wireless IP network. These multimedia functions
can be used to enable medical consultation, health information services, distance
education, and e-commerce.
?? The wireless IP telephony system has been tested in the field study. The Client
Stations on the network were monitored at the Center Station. The parameters of the
wireless routers could be reset from the Center Station as well. If a gateway experienced
problems, the Center Station was signaled. In general, the connectivity and voice quality
were fine in the trial.
3.7 Technical features:
Some key aspects of the wireless IP telemedicine system are discussed below:
(1) The data transmission speed can reach 2Mbit/s with a TCP/IP platform. Such
transfer rate is adequate for interactive multimedia communication.
(2) Since digital data is free from signal decay depending on transmission
distance, the voice quality for long distance telecommunications is better than that
of analog calls.
(2) Certain level of voice delay is generated by data compression and extraction.
(3) Multimedia data (such as images and video) and Fax can be integrated and
transmitted along with the voice traffic.
14
17. (4) IP-based wireless connections are more easily established which allow users
to talk to multiple parties simultaneously. The network size and functions can
be expanded with flexibility.
(5) The network is easy to operate and maintain, and resilient against disasters and
network outages.
3.8 Clinical benefits:
The clinical benefits of such a wireless IP telemedicine systems lay in the
following aspects:
(1) Prompt response to critical medical scenarios regardless of any barriers,
(2) Flexible and swift access to expert opinions and advice to the point of care and
without delay and optimize the management of medical resources;
(2) Interactive medical consultation and communication links of medical images
and video data in complete mobility and in global coverage and connectivity
when through a gateway,
(4) Increased empowerment and management of medical expertise, especially in
rural and underserved areas using the above technologies,
(5) Swift and better medical care delivery in emergencies and management of
medical data in catastrophes or natural disaster circumstances where conventional
communication links could be unavailable.
3.9 Cost analysis:
Under the assumption of a total of 200 lines in the network, the initial investment
for a wireless IP telephony system costs US$ 2,644 per line. This figure is higher than the
reported cost of various rural communication systems ranges from US$500 to US$750
per line. However, these lower per-line costs are generally based on full utilization of
large capacity networks. If a relative small network is proposed, for example 30 client
terminals as in the case of telemedicine, the wireless IP telephony system is considered to
be competitive. As for communication cost, it has been generally accepted that IP
telephony brings about cost saving for long-distance and international communication.
Example:
We assume that,
Ca: Call charges for user A
Cb: Call charges for user B
Ia: Payment to Internet Service Provider (ISP) from user A
Ib: Payment to ISP from user B
P: Public telephone network charge for the call between A and B
15
18. If Ca, Ia, Cb, Ib, and P are variables, the function for comparing the charges
between IP telephony and the conventional telephone calls is as follows:
g{(Ca+Ia)+(Cb+Ib), P}. If the costs for communications line and ISP are fixed per month
at the price schedule effective as of March 2001 (Ca=4,050 yen, Ia=1,950 yen,
Cb=$19.95, Ib=$49.95, $1=120 yen), IP-based phone calls between Tokyo and San
Francisco are cheaper than the conventional international telephone calls (6-yen/6-sec
during the daytime, through KDDI or NTT) once the call time exceeds 240 minutes (4
hours) per month.
This example suggests that IP telephony has the potential to generate cost-saving
on telecommunication, especially for long-distance or international communication.
Since the wireless IP telephony system can be easily connected to any public and private
networks, this feature will facilitate the deployment of telemedicine over a long-distance
or in a global scenario, particularly for those international telemedicine programs in
developing countries.
4. Issue of Broadband health services over wireless networks:
With the advent of 3G wireless system and the new IP version- 6 (IPV6), the next
few years we will see the emergence of next generation wireless and Internet
telemedicine networks that will provide broadband health services over wireless
networks. Issue are given below:
(1) The mobility issues of the current wireless IP telephony system;
(2) The integration of 3G, IPV6 and signal processing technologies for selected
telemedicine applications:
(3) The interconnectivity issues with various public and private networks, as well
as with the bio-medical data collecting devices.
(4) The performance and reliability issues and economic analysis of the wireless
IP telephony system in different healthcare scenarios.
5. Conclusions:
As demand for improved health care is getting prioritized an effective and
planned framework is needed to provide quality health care using telemedicine by
centralizing the limited and valuable medical resources distributed in any geographic
location with any demographic profile in developing countries like Bangladesh.
The current evolution of the next generation of Internet and mobile
communication technologies will have a crucial impact on the movement of telemedicine
to the Internet platform and migration of the technology from the conventional desktop
configuration to the wireless and mobile area. In this assignment, we have proposed and
tested a prototype wireless IP telephony system used for telemedicine applications. It
demonstrates that the healthcare and medical community could benefit from the latest
advance in telecommunication and information technologies which should be very much
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19. necessary for our society. By implementing this type of Wireless IP telephony system for
telemedicine service we can provide better health service for people.
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wireless and internet telemedicine systems [Editorial] ", IEEE Transactions on
Information Technology in Biomedicine, 4 (3): 189-193, Sep 2000.
[2] Davidson, J. and Peters J., Voice over IP fundamentals, Cisco Press, Indianapolis,
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[3] Lusweti P., "The IP opportunity", ITU News, No.2: 6-7,
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[4] Kaiyama, A., "Internet and mobile communications" (in Japanese), Journal of the
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