Isro’s Continuing Medical Education program helps medical professionals in India upgrade their knowledge

The Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU) unit of Isro had started a Continuing Medical Education (CME) program in 2014. The program allows doctors and medical professionals around the country to interact with one another and keep up to date with the latest developments in medicine. There are 119 telemedicine nodes across the country, with a central hub in Bengaluru. There is one teacher node, and the rest are student nodes.

The software seems to use Windows XP as the OS. Image: Isro.

Twenty six CME programs have been held till February 2017, with an average session lasting 71 minutes. Out of this, 47 minutes are how long an average lecture lasts, and the question and answer session lasts for 24 minutes on average. After every session, all the participants are contacted by telephone, and asked for feedback on audio quality, video quality, and the level of satisfaction from the session. Slideshows, images and video clips can be incorporated into the presentations. 5,250 medical staff have participated in the CME sessions so far, including doctors, professors, students and paramedics. 150 other staff such as technicians, nurses and attendants have also participated in the sessions.

The broadcast grade equipment used at the teacher node. Image: Isro.

Isro has arranged satellite communication for the CME, along with the diagnostic equipment required, the hardware and the software for various medical colleges and hotels around the country. The entire network is satellite based. If you are wondering why the whole thing cannot be done through Skype, Isro assures a high quality audio and video stream through satellites in remote locations, including nodes, mobile health vans and health centers in rural areas, where internet connectivity may not be reliable. The feedback from the participants is incorporated in improvements to the system and overall, the medical professionals are satisfied with the CME.

The post Isro’s Continuing Medical Education program helps medical professionals in India upgrade their knowledge appeared first on Tech2.

from http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/isros-continuing-medical-education-program-helps-medical-professionals-in-india-upgrade-their-knowledge-368364.html