Use of slowscan technology in the North Slope Borough Telehealth Project

The North Slope Borough (NSB) Telehealth Project involves the use of slowscan (freeze-frame video) and telephone communications between 7 small villages, a central 14-bed hospital, and a large urban hospital over 700 air miles away. The project is intended to improve the quality of health care in this remote rural area in northernmost Alaska. This article describes the initial testing stages of the project and discusses applications for use of this technology. It focuses on the technological potentials for bridging cultural and linguistic differences between health care provider and client and from provider to provider for enhanced primary health care.