Iltifat Husain MD contributed to this article
The age of wearable computers is upon us.
There has recently been a slew of media attention to the possibility of an
Apple Watch, and the soon to be released Google Glass.
For those not familiar with the
Google Glass Project, it is essentially a wearable device that mimics eyeglasses.
The hardware includes Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities (can work with
Android and iOS devices), cameras, voice-activation commands, and a
heads-up display.
This device will find many uses with the general populace, but what about the healthcare field, what does it mean for medicine?
Imagine several medical scenarios using Google Glass:
- An emergency responder arriving at a motor vehicle
accident is able to live stream to the emergency department the status
of the patients and the associated trauma suffered to a patient. The ER
is then able to assemble and prepare for a patient’s emergency
treatment.
- A surgeon live streams to residents and students a live
surgery–so that they can see what work goes into a medical procedure
first hand.
- A visiting nurse seeing a patient in their own home video
records and captures images of the patient’s wound, for which they are
caring for, and sends them back to the physician.
- A resident’s physical exam of a patient is streamed back
to an attending physician, who can critique their work and make
recommendations on questions to ask in real time. This could especially
be useful when a resident consultant evaluates a patient while their
attending is at home overnight.
- A cardiologist in a cath lab overlays the fluoroscopy as
they perform a femoral catheterization for a patient with a recent
myocardial infarct.
- A nurse scans the medication they are about to give the
patient and confirms the correct drug and right patient by overlaying
their patient profile with the person in front of them–possibly stopping
a medical error.
- A student brings up their notes and lab reports as they
present their patient case to their attending, with data available in
real time.
- An oncologist can overlay the MRI scan over a patient, and show them and the family where the cancer exists.
- The electronic health record at the hospital is available
to caregivers, able to be updated on major changes in the patients they
oversee. For instance, the recent cultures from a septic patients wound
comes back positive for MRSA and the physician changes their broad
spectrum antibiotics to appropriate therapy based upon sensitivities.
- A pharmacist is able to scan medications and verify the
proper drugs after comparing the drug with images available in the
database, ensuring the right drug is dispensed.
- A physical therapist can see past sessions with a patient
from previous recordings, overlaying their current range of motion,
identifying changes as well as progression.
- Any healthcare professional could walk up to a patient’s bed and instantly see all their vitals such as pulse, BP, O2 Sats, etc.
Could these be major changes that can be implemented by Google Glass
or wearable computers? Lets face it, medicine is changing. We are
heavily involved with real time data to treat patients whose status
frequently changes. The ability to utilize tools that can keep us
connected and up-to-date may help prevent medical errors. It may also
increase efficiency of care, collaboration with fellow provider’s, help
educate new students, and lead to a potential major change in medical
practice. No longer do we use the black bag of the 19th century
physician, but rather we have graduated to using technology to increase
our level of care.
I want to be able to walk into a room, and bring up a patient’s EHR,
their recent labs, see their medication list, and see what changed from
the previous night or visit. I want the most recent data. I want the
ability to be in a room and share my interaction with students or fellow
practitioners should I need their input.
What if there is a wound the patient brings to my attention? What if I
could share it with a fellow dermatologist and get their immediate
input? They could tell me to look at it from different angles and what
maneuvers to perform to help them build a better idea. Indeed,
telemedicine could be changed in a major way.
However, this cannot happen without our input. We need to become a
part of the developmental process. Developers need our advice and
critiques to create technological marvels that will bring us into the
21st century. Just as we have seen mobile medical applications created
by third party developers that have no medical background, and expect us
to consume their product — we should not be blocked out of this process
as well.
Google’s Glass Youtube video demonstrates people dancing, skydiving,
and playing with their children. But where is video showing how this can
help medicine? We need to give Google an answer, and let them know that
we want to be part of this development. Let them know with the hashtag
on twitter: #ifihadglass. And leave a comment with how you would use
Google Glass in medicine.
The age of wearable computers is upon us.
There has recently been a slew of media attention to the possibility of an Apple Watch, and the soon to be released Google Glass.
For those not familiar with the Google Glass Project, it is essentially a wearable device that mimics eyeglasses.
The hardware includes Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities (can work with Android and iOS devices), cameras, voice-activation commands, and a heads-up display.
This device will find many uses with the general populace, but what about the healthcare field, what does it mean for medicine?
Imagine several medical scenarios using Google Glass:
- An emergency responder arriving at a motor vehicle
accident is able to live stream to the emergency department the status
of the patients and the associated trauma suffered to a patient. The ER
is then able to assemble and prepare for a patient’s emergency
treatment.
- A surgeon live streams to residents and students a live
surgery–so that they can see what work goes into a medical procedure
first hand.
- A visiting nurse seeing a patient in their own home video
records and captures images of the patient’s wound, for which they are
caring for, and sends them back to the physician.
- A resident’s physical exam of a patient is streamed back
to an attending physician, who can critique their work and make
recommendations on questions to ask in real time. This could especially
be useful when a resident consultant evaluates a patient while their
attending is at home overnight.
- A cardiologist in a cath lab overlays the fluoroscopy as
they perform a femoral catheterization for a patient with a recent
myocardial infarct.
- A nurse scans the medication they are about to give the
patient and confirms the correct drug and right patient by overlaying
their patient profile with the person in front of them–possibly stopping
a medical error.
- A student brings up their notes and lab reports as they
present their patient case to their attending, with data available in
real time.
- An oncologist can overlay the MRI scan over a patient, and show them and the family where the cancer exists.
- The electronic health record at the hospital is available
to caregivers, able to be updated on major changes in the patients they
oversee. For instance, the recent cultures from a septic patients wound
comes back positive for MRSA and the physician changes their broad
spectrum antibiotics to appropriate therapy based upon sensitivities.
- A pharmacist is able to scan medications and verify the
proper drugs after comparing the drug with images available in the
database, ensuring the right drug is dispensed.
- A physical therapist can see past sessions with a patient
from previous recordings, overlaying their current range of motion,
identifying changes as well as progression.
- Any healthcare professional could walk up to a patient’s bed and instantly see all their vitals such as pulse, BP, O2 Sats, etc.
Could these be major changes that can be implemented by Google Glass or wearable computers? Lets face it, medicine is changing. We are heavily involved with real time data to treat patients whose status frequently changes. The ability to utilize tools that can keep us connected and up-to-date may help prevent medical errors. It may also increase efficiency of care, collaboration with fellow provider’s, help educate new students, and lead to a potential major change in medical practice. No longer do we use the black bag of the 19th century physician, but rather we have graduated to using technology to increase our level of care.I want to be able to walk into a room, and bring up a patient’s EHR, their recent labs, see their medication list, and see what changed from the previous night or visit. I want the most recent data. I want the ability to be in a room and share my interaction with students or fellow practitioners should I need their input.
What if there is a wound the patient brings to my attention? What if I could share it with a fellow dermatologist and get their immediate input? They could tell me to look at it from different angles and what maneuvers to perform to help them build a better idea. Indeed, telemedicine could be changed in a major way.
However, this cannot happen without our input. We need to become a part of the developmental process. Developers need our advice and critiques to create technological marvels that will bring us into the 21st century. Just as we have seen mobile medical applications created by third party developers that have no medical background, and expect us to consume their product — we should not be blocked out of this process as well.
Google’s Glass Youtube video demonstrates people dancing, skydiving, and playing with their children. But where is video showing how this can help medicine? We need to give Google an answer, and let them know that we want to be part of this development. Let them know with the hashtag on twitter: #ifihadglass. And leave a comment with how you would use Google Glass in medicine.