THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEMEDICINE IN HEALTH CARE PROVISION DURING AUTONOMOUS TRIPS

Abstract

The objective of the present paper is to evaluate telemedicine sessions involving onboard medical specialists on trip and medical specialist at coastal bases upon using different hardware and operation modes. It is found that the standard shipborne hardware and the videoconference platform POLYCOM allow real-time communication at an acceptable sound and image quality only when distances between ships and coastal bases are small. BGAN INMARSAT portable satellite-mediated communication station and INMARSAT communication channel provide for better sound and image quality at greater distances, but with a 15-minute delay. The complimentary employment of telephone communication makes it possible to obtain advices from qualified specialists residing at coastal bases.