Glossary of Telehealth Terms

Audio Conference (Teleconference)
Live exchange among persons remote from one another but linked by a telecommunication system such as a phone line. This type of communication requires a speaker phone and can usually be conducted from any room in the building. Assistance may be needed should the conference include a large number of locations.

Satellite Conference
This communication is usually a one-way video and two-way audio. The satellite downlink conference is usually used for educational programs being presented from entities outside our Telehealth organization.

Videoconference (Interactive Video)  
Interactive communication which allows two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. All sites involved can be seen and heard by all other participating sites. There are three applications for this system: business/administrative, distance education, and telemedicine.

Videostream
Live or stored “one-way” communication. The communicator broadcasts a message to an audience who can experience a message in “real time” (as it is created) or on-demand (stored file). Applications for streaming may have interactivity but it is most often between the user (at their PC) and a network resource, not between users.

Webcasting
Live one-way audio and visual media file distributed over the internet. The communicator broadcasts a single source of content to many simultaneous listeners and/or viewers.

Webinar
Interactive communication between the presenter and the audience. A webinar is “live” in a sense that information is conveyed according to an agenda, with a starting and an end time. In most cases, the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, pointing out information being presented on screen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones or speakerphone.