XAP - an open source protocol for eHealth

Date
2011-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Abstract
In a recent SAIIE conference paper it was suggested to use xAP protocol in the telemedicine environment. Telemedicine has since been described to evolve into eHealth where the focus is not only on the remote control of health systems, but now also includes local control. This wider scope is necessary to allow seamless communication amongst systems, irrespective to whether they are in the same room or in a remote location. Local communication is via intranet with a higher data transport rate than internet. Larger data packages can be transported than economical on the internet. This research proposes a framework using a xAP datagram instead of sending the complete data package. It will only broadcast the availability of a data package to both local and remote systems. The bulk content can then be requested for download to local and remote systems either in compressed or uncompressed format. The xAP datagram carries information on the formats that the bulk data can be downloaded in. Intelligence at the retriever would decide which format to download. The compression format can be negotiated at download time. Protocols utilized are UDP for xAP broadcasting and TCP for bulk data retrieval. Scope: It is important to note that this research is on the efficacy of a datagram to broadcast data availability announcements and not on the design of a database. Also that data retrieval via TCP is not considered as it is used for bulk content retrieval after the announcement and only when an internet link is available. Lastly the bulk content download format negotiation is already available by others, usually “APP” developers of smart devices or similar.
Description
The original publication is available at http://www.isem.org.za/index.php/isem/isem2011
Conference of the ISEM 2011 Proceedings, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 21 - 23 September 2011.
Conference theme - Innovative Systems Thinking: Unravelling Complexity for Successful Solutions
Keywords
xAP protocol, Telemedicine environment, Medical communication protocols, Opensource digital communication, Health care, eHealth database server
Citation
Van Der Merwe, A. F. 2011. XAP - an open source protocol for eHealth, presented at the ISEM 2011 Proceedings, September 21-23, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.