The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 2 (Apr 2014) | Page 34

Google Glass: Transformative Technology for Healthcare?

Google Glass: Transformative
Technology for Healthcare?
There are currently a whole range of
projects underway around the world
to explore the unique potential that
Google Glass and other augmentedreality wearable systems may bring to
medical and healthcare environments.
The delivery of timely data to doctors
and medical professionals within the
care environment has already become
fairly common-place. Tablets and
Smartphones are enabling data-driven
services to help assist with patient consults and the delivery of healthcare
directly when it is needed.
The unique proposition of augmented
reality is that it has the ability to deliver
real-time relevant information to doctors and surgeons directly at the point
of care, with hands-free operation.
This is particularly relevant in medical
procedures and surgical environments
where doctors cannot directly interact
with technology interfaces that require
touch input. The benefits of a head-up
display providing an augmented visual
perception, is that it can allow doctors
to access and interact with key patient
information or vital sign data remotely,
using, for example, voice commands or
physical gestures to scroll through data.
The premise of augmented reality displays and wearable computer devices
presents new opportunities for data
driven clinical and surgical procedures.
Philips Healthcare is currently assessing the options that Google Glass may
bring to advance clinical excellence and
efficient care. They have developed an
early-stage ‘proof-of-concept’ demonstration that is being used to research
different ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of performing
surgical procedures. Their demonstrator connects Google Glass to

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April 2014

Philips proprietary
Intellivue Solution
and proves the
concept of seamless transfer of
patient vital signs
into Google Glass,
potentially providing physicians
with hands-free
access to critical
clinical information. Developed in collaboration with
Accenture, the new concept demonstration depicts how a doctor wearing the
display could simultaneously monitor a
patient’s vital signs and react to surgical
procedural developments without having to turn away from the patient during a procedure. This ultimately means
that they can focus on providing more
efficient and effective patient care. A
physician could also monitor a patient’s
vital signs remotely or enlist assistance
from doctors in other locations.
A spokesperson for Philip