Digital, high definition television has been made available to medical professionals in Japan.
MINCS-UH (University Medical Information Network by Communications Satellite) is the first broadcasting system in the world in which digital, high definition television is realized.
In 1996, MINCS-UH was introduced to eight national university hospitals in Japan. Its equipment includes:
a television camera for surgery,
video tap recorder,
television monitor,
large-size high definition television projectors,
control panels for a lecture room
camera for X-ray and slide photos
editing system
movable television camera
camera for microsurgery
In the MINCS system, all the communications are encrypted using reliable digital encryption algorithm.
Thus, patients’ privacy is strictly protected.
MINCS is a bi-directional communication system, enabling interactive communication ( questions and answers etc.) between remote university hospitals.
Hi-Vision broadcasting of Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) ? This is an analogue-based system.
MINCS system is the first digital, high definition television broadcasting system in the world.
As the data transfer rate of MINCS-UH is much higher, the communication is much more comfortable.
Thanks to the MINCS-UH, we are now in the new age of medical communications.
It can be used for many purposes.
The first example:
Joint lecture among remote universities .
Thanks to the high quality image, it is easy to understand the details of the surgical operation.
The second example:
The joint clinical conferences
The third example:
Communication system in a large-scale disaster.
MINCS will be useful when the ground communication circuits are destroyed by the disaster.
The forth example:
Tele-medicine including tele-pathology.
MINCS was introduced to eight national university hospitals in 1996.
The number of sites will increase gradually in the future.