In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen a dramatic shift towards digital technologies. Within specific use cases, live and interactive video streaming is becoming increasingly popular in the industry. This is being achieved by integrating Video & Streaming APIs provided by various CPaaS providers in the market.
Traditional methods of streaming such as RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) have presented numerous pain points that make it less than ideal for healthcare applications.
One of the biggest pain points with RTMP streaming is its lack of adaptability to different devices and network conditions. RTMP is a protocol that requires a specialized player, which can make it difficult to stream on a wide range of devices. In addition, RTMP has relatively poor performance when used on unreliable networks, resulting in poor video quality, and buffering issues.
Latency in case of RTMP is much higher than HLS so it cannot be used for interactivity but only for one way streaming.
HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), on the other hand, has emerged as a superior streaming technology, offering numerous benefits to healthcare providers.
What are the advantages of HLS Streaming?
HLS is based on HTTP and is designed to be adaptive to different network conditions and device types. It can stream to a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops. HLS divides video streams into smaller segments, allowing it to adapt to changing network conditions by selecting the most appropriate stream quality for the current network speed. When used with the right video API, streaming based solutions can help manage increased complexity with scalability to offer better business outcomes, at lower cost.
By using HLS streaming, healthcare companies can offer better patient care and improve satisfaction levels for both patients and staff. Healthcare providers can use live streaming to offer remote consultations, enabling patients to receive timely medical attention without having to physically visit a healthcare facility. This can be particularly useful for patients with chronic illnesses, who require ongoing medical support but may struggle with mobility issues.
Live and Interactive HLS streaming can also be used for staff training and education, allowing healthcare providers to deliver training and educational content to staff across multiple locations. This can save time and resources, as staff members can receive training without the need to travel to a central location.
Another benefit of HLS streaming is its ability to offer a personalized experience to patients. Healthcare providers can use HLS to create personalized playlists for patients, containing relevant educational content, motivational messages, and entertainment. This can help patients feel more engaged with their healthcare, leading to better treatment outcomes and higher satisfaction levels.
EnableX is a leading provider of Video and Streaming APIs including HLS streaming, offering healthcare companies a range of features and tools to deliver quality content and build engagement with healthcare professionals and patients alike. With EnableX, healthcare providers can create customized streaming experiences for patients, offer remote consultations, and deliver staff training and educational content.
To recap, here are the benefits HLS Streaming provides, and the benefits to you as a healthcare company:
|
Feature |
HLS Streaming |
RTMP Streaming |
|
Protocol |
HTTP-based |
Proprietary |
|
Latency |
Very Low (Sub second) |
High (15-20 seconds) |
|
Adaptability |
Adaptive bitrate |
Fixed bitrate |
|
Player Support |
Wide range of devices supported |
Specialized player required |
|
Network Issues |
Resilient to network interruptions and packet loss | Mediocre performance on unreliable networks |
|
Quality Control |
Can switch between different quality streams based on network and device |
Limited quality control |
| Content Delivery | Can use CDNs for improved delivery speed |
Content delivered directly from server |
Advantages of HLS streaming for healthcare companies:
- Improved patient care through remote consultations and personalized streaming experiences.
- More efficient staff training and educational content delivery, leading to improved staff satisfaction levels.
- Compatibility with a wide range of devices, making it easier for patients and staff to access streaming content.
- Resilient to network issues, ensuring that patients can receive medical attention without interruption.
- Quality control features ensure patients receive the best streaming experience possible, regardless of network or device.
In conclusion, HLS streaming offers numerous benefits to the healthcare industry, providing an adaptive and personalized streaming experience. With its ability to adapt to changing network conditions and device types, HLS can improve patient care and satisfaction levels, while also providing cost savings and efficiencies for healthcare providers. EnableX is a reliable and trusted provider of Video & Streaming APIs and HLS streaming solutions, offering healthcare companies the tools they need to succeed in the digital age. To learn more about EnableX CPaaS and its HLS streaming solutions, you can start a free trial today.
More information:
To learn about our solutions for the healthcare industry, click here
To access documentation for HLS streaming, click here
The EnableX Video Platform is built using the best-in-class technologies and infrastructure to deliver best possible customer experience. With the use of WebRTC as the underlying real-time communication framework, we ensure seamless communication across end points and mobile devices. We offer native APIs and SDK’s along with hybrid frameworks – both for web and mobile applications including ReactNative, Flutter and Cordova to enable quick integration by developers.
