Live Endoscopy Demonstration Using Superfast Broadband Internet Connections: The Future of Medical Education and Conferences

Article information

Clin Endosc. 2012;45(1):1-1

Publication date (electronic) : 2012 March 31

doi : https://doi.org/10.5946/ce.2012.45.1.1

Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.

Correspondence: Jimin Han. Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, 33 Duryugongwon-ro 17-gil, Nam-gu, Daegu 705-718, Korea. Tel: +82-53-650-3042, Fax: +82-53-656-3281, jmhan@cu.ac.kr

Received 2012 February 27; Revised 2012 March 06; Accepted 2012 March 06.

See "[Related article:] International Live Endoscopic Multichannel Demonstration Using Superfast Broadband Internet Connections" by Sang Pyo Lee, Hang Lak Lee, Joon Soo Hahm, et al., on page 73-77

With rapid technologic advances in telecommunications and informatics, various technologies and tools for providing teleconferencing via Internet became available for real-time interaction. In the article by Lee et al.,1 a bidirectional transmission system with digital video transport system (DVTS) and Korea Advanced Research Network (KOREN) was used for two multicenter live endoscopy demonstrations in South Korea. DVTS enables transmission of digital video by applying additional compression and thus results in higher image quality.2,3 KOREN is a research and education network funded by Korean government and is more stable and faster than the generally used, commercial network.3 Therefore, it is no wonder that Lee et al.1 reported high satisfaction rate of 91% regarding both sound and image qualities. This finding is also in accordance with findings of a previous study.4

This study by Lee et al.1 is significant as one of few original articles on teleconferencing, especially using DVTS.1,4,5 This study enlightens gastrointestinal endoscopists on technologic advances in teleconferences and stimulates the interests in and need for the establishment of such system. However, it would have been better if the authors specified the parameters in which the participants showed satisfaction and which they were not satisfied.

While teleconferencing using superfast broadband Internet connections is promising for everyone in healthcare, one should bear in mind that hardware, software, and dedicated personnel are essential for set-up and maintenance of superfast broadband Internet connections. Once established, this shall be an increasingly useful education and conference modality for both the novice and experienced endoscopists. In addition to live endoscopy demonstrations, there will be many more applications for superfast broadband Internet connections. We hope to see and experience these in a very near future.

Notes

The author has no financial conflicts of interest.

References

1. Lee SP, Lee HL, Hahm JS, Choi HS, Joe I, Shimizu S. International live endoscopic multichannel demonstration using superfast broadband internet connections. Clin Endosc 2012;45:73–77.

2. Liu WL, Zhang K, Locatis C, Ackerman M. Internet-based videoconferencing coder/decoders and tools for telemedicine. Telemed J E Health 2011;17:358–362. 21563926.

3. Shimizu S, Han HS, Okamura K, Nakashima N, Kitamura Y, Tanaka M. Technologic developments in telemedicine: state-of-the-art academic interactions. Surgery 2010;147:597–601. 20045545.

4. Kaltenbach T, Muto M, Soetikno R, et al. Teleteaching endoscopy: the feasibility of real-time, uncompressed video transmission by using advanced-network technologies. Gastrointest Endosc 2009;70:1013–1017. 19643406.

5. Shimizu S, Nakashima N, Okamura K, et al. International transmission of uncompressed endoscopic surgery images via superfast broadband Internet connections. Surg Endosc 2006;20:167–170. 16333545.

Article information Continued

(open-access, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) :

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.