Abstract
The P2P network was born due to the recent rapid spread of internet. In the P2P network, data are exchanged directly between peers' personal computers. The P2P network is different from the client/server-type network which is mainly used presently.
The research and development of the medical information sharing using the P2P network has been conducted in Asahikawa Research Center, NICT for three years. The research of the P2P network system, high-speed searching technology of medical information, and security technology for privacy protection has been performed thus far.
The medical information sharing system using a P2P network was developed based on the results of these research. A basic evaluation on the response to information searching and on the data acquisition time was done. Also the total system was evaluated by the doctors at 16 facilities in Hokkaido.
Majority of the doctors was satisfied with the information searching time and usefullness of the total system. A medical information sharing system using a P2P network is promising for telemedicine.
