Interactive videoconferencing system for rural health education: A preliminary report

Abstract

Object: To establish a videoconferencing network in a new Rural Clinical School. Design: A report on choosing hardware and connecting multiple sites simultaneously. Setting: Rural South Australia. Subjects: Undergraduate medical, nursing and allied health students. Interventions: None. Main outcome measures: Establishment of an effective multisite, dual mode videoconferencing system. Results: The choice of hardware was simple, but acquiring adequate broadband connection between sites proved difficult. Conclusions: Multi-site meetings for academic and administrative purposes are now routine. Evaluation of the effectiveness of medical education delivery will occur throughout 2004. What is already known on this subject: Point to point videoconferencing is an established part of health service delivery in rural Australia. The new rural clinical schools were funded to deliver 50% of the clinical years of medical education in rural settings. Additional information technology funds were offered by the Department of Health and Ageing to support this program. What does this paper add?: Progress in establishing a videoconferencing system for health education is described. This system is intended to deliver both data, via electronic white boards, together with audio and video image (i.e. dual mode). Adequate bandwidth connection by Frame Relay technology along copper wires is achievable. A videoconference ‘bridge’ allows multiple sites to interact simultaneously.