The MPEG-4 standard and electronic reporting for mobile, multimedia patient records

Electronic reporting and transfer of confidential patient data to the electronic patient record using Internet-related and wireless technologies can pose threats to the security and integrity of data. The MPEG-4 (Moving Pictures Experts Group-Version 4) standard can enable the seamless integration of text, digitized images and video sequences, and the necessary data security protocols for mobile access to and transfer of patient information. This standard will improve the quality of the electronic patient record as well as the reliability of authentication of reports. Applying the standard for patient reporting will also improve ways for authorized users to interact with patient records. Easier access to mobile multimedia patient records will assist clinicians in documenting patient episodes in a more timely and synchronous manner. This will result in better communication between health-care team members by allowing them to stay linked and interactive even when separated by distances in a telemedicine environment.