Comparative study of connectivity in telemedicine.

Communication links are the lifelines for telemedicine practice. Various terrestrial and satellite media can be used; however, each has its own plus and minus side. The current study was designed to evaluate three types of telecommunication media used for telemedical videoconference at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow Telemedicine program over a period of 20 months. The evaluation was based on analysis of technical parameters recorded in a prescribed proforma designed for the study purpose and maintained prospectively after completion of each event. Only technical issues were addressed. At the end of the study period, analysis of data revealed that leased line-based terrestrial Internet Protocol (IP) was better than Sky IP. Integrated Services Digital Network media were found technically less acceptable for telemedical videoconference.