Live Streaming Requirements for the Healthcare Industry

These days, medical professionals are relying on video streaming services to provide innovative care to their patients. But what are the requirements for medical live streams?

Hospitals, healthcare centers, and medical practices are beginning to use live streaming solutions for a variety of different applications including remote diagnosis, medical training, and medical conference streaming. However, due to the nature of the healthcare industry, it’s especially important that the live stream is of the highest and the most quality. But what does that mean? What makes a high-quality live stream? and what requirements do medical institutions have when they search for a live streaming solution?

In this article, we will explain the technical requirements needed with live streams in the healthcare industry.

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Common Applications Of Video Streaming In The Healthcare Industry

The healthcare industry has adopted live streaming solutions for a variety of different applications including remote diagnostics, cross-border webinars, remote medical transcription services, medical conference streaming, and much more.

As streaming services become more common in the healthcare field, it’s likely that there will be even more uses for the technology. To learn more about the different use cases of live streaming services in the medical industry be sure to check out our article on how the healthcare industry is using live streaming services.

However, without rehashing the information we covered in the other article, let’s just say that the two industries are working together to provide the very best care for patients and medical students. As such, there are some unique challenges inherent to the healthcare field, and it’s vitally important that medical live streams are of the best possible quality.

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Why The Medical Industry Needs The Highest Quality Live Streams?

In any industry, the quality of the live stream will vary depending on the technological infrastructure of the organization. This is especially true for streaming since it is reliant on the quality of the network. As a result, if a medical organization has a low-quality infrastructure, it will have low-quality live streams.

The medical industry has a unique set of needs when it comes to live stream quality. For example, while a keynote speaker may not need to use a live stream with the highest quality, a doctor trying to diagnose an ailment over the internet must have the highest quality possible. When a doctor diagnoses their patient, it is essential that he or she be looking at the exact image of the patient. At the same time, the patient must be able to see the doctor’s image and hear what the doctor says.

All of this must happen in real time, which is a challenge due to the amount of bandwidth required. This is why the medical industry places a high level of importance on the quality of the live stream. The medical industry has stringent requirements for live streams because if the live stream is of poor quality, patients may not receive the correct diagnosis.

So, with that in mind, let’s go over five of the most important factors that determine the quality of a live stream for the healthcare industry.

Requirement 1: Ultra Low Latency

The first requirement for the live stream of a medical institution is ultra low latency. Latency is the length of time it takes for the video to be sent and received. The lower the latency, the better. The reason low latency is important in the healthcare industry is that it can help reduce the amount of missed information. This is especially critical when examining a patient because if a doctor misses a certain symptom, they might not provide the correct diagnosis.

While the amount of latency will vary depending on the live streaming solution, it is important to note that the lower the latency, the more bandwidth your organization will need. Therefore, it is important to work with a live streaming vendor that can provide several different options based on the organization’s needs.

Requirement 2: Security

When an organization is streaming live, it is essentially broadcasting its screen. This means that anyone who is on the same network as the organization can see its screen. While this is normal for businesses that are trying to show their screen to customers, it is not appropriate for a medical institution. This is because a patient’s private information, such as their social security number, may be displayed on the screen. This is why the medical industry requires the highest level of security for its live streams.

The best way to ensure the security of a live stream is to use a solution that has end-to-end encryption. This means that the live stream can only be decrypted at the receiving end. Aside from encryption, it is also important to note that a secure live streaming solution will require a username and a password to log in.

Requirement 3: Stability

The third requirement for the live stream of a medical institution is stability. This means that the live stream must not be interrupted by a sudden drop in the quality level. The last thing a doctor needs while remotely diagnosing a patient is for their live stream to suddenly become pixelated, blurry, or out of sync.

This is why it is important to find a live streaming provider that offers a reliable service. Many providers will advertise a 99% uptime guarantee for their service as well as a money-back guarantee. This way, you’ll know that if there is a problem with the service, you’ll be able to get a new provider without any issues.

Requirement 4: Visual Quality

The fourth requirement for the live stream of a medical institution is visual quality. Live streams come in a variety of resolutions, and it is important to select the resolution that is appropriate for your organization’s needs.

The best way to select the appropriate resolution is to determine how many people you expect to watch the live stream. Then, find out how many pixels are required for each person to see the screen properly. For example, if 20 people will log in and view the live stream, they will need a resolution of at least 1280 x 720 pixels.

That said, due to the nature of the industry, higher resolution streams are often preferred with 1080p being the real minimum. Most state-of-the-art medical facilities will stream with 4K resolution, which allows the doctors and medical staff to see small details that might otherwise be missed with lower resolution streams.

Requirement 5: Audio Synchronization

The fifth requirement for the live stream of a medical institution is audio synchronization. This means that the audio and video must be in perfect sync with one another. When a doctor is remotely diagnosing a patient over the internet, the patient must be able to hear every word the doctor says.

If the audio is out of sync with the video, it could cause the doctor to miss important information. In addition, the patient must be able to hear the doctor’s instructions. This is important so that the patient knows what to do next. The best way to ensure audio synchronization is to use a solution that has audio delay correction. Most of the best streaming services providers in the medical industry will have this sort of solution already in place.

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Why BlendVision Is A Great Choice For Medical Live Streaming Services

There are many live streaming service providers available these days, but they are not all created equally. If you only want to live stream television shows for entertainment than it may not be as important which provider you choose, but in the medical industry it’s crucial that you have the best possible streaming platform supporting your transmissions.

BlendVision is one of the leading service providers when it comes to high quality streams. Not only does BlendVision provide an ultra-low latency solution, but they also offer high-end security, unparalleled stability, top-notch video quality and everything else that a medical professional needs in order to offer their patients and students the best possible streaming experience.

To learn more about BlendVision and how they can help your organization be sure to check out their website today.

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Conclusion

The live streaming industry is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years. As more people become aware of the benefits of live streaming, the demand for live streaming services will increase. This means that it is important for organizations to understand the requirements needed for a high-quality live stream.

As we’ve seen, live streaming requirements differ depending on the industry. In the healthcare industry, a provider must have ultra-low latency, the transmission must be secure and stable, the stream must provide high visual quality, and it also needs to have seamless audio synchronization. When an organization meets these requirements, they can be confident in their live stream.