technology has arrived', and Google Glass is all set to change the face of .... a practice, until developers gain a better understanding of the medical environment.
Google Glass changing the face of medicine
By: Dr Praveen Pillai, NMC Healthcare, Dubai, UAE An anaesthesiologist arrives in an operating theatre and takes his patient’s vital stats, body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. He finds nothing out of the ordinary. But imagine the possibility of doctors monitoring a patient’s vital signs remotely or accessing a pre-surgery safety checklist even before entering the OT physically, or to consult with other medical experts during complex or emergency situations. Now this might sound like a sequence from a movie but ‘the biggest smart thing in healthcare technology has arrived’, and Google Glass is all set to change the face of medicine, offering the ability to record your life, store it, and share it, all with a simple voice command. Tech savvy doctors are very excited by the idea of having a Google-eye view of the world. WHAT IS IT? Google Glass is essentially a wearable device that mimics eyeglasses in a smartphone-like handsfree format. It is voice-activated, GPS- Bluetooth-, WiFi-enabled and capable to record videos, take pictures and access emails on the go. A camera built into the glasses enables the wearer to record and transmit whatever is in their field of vision to a person or persons in another room, across town or around the world. Perhaps one of the most meaningful possibilities for Google Glass is its potential to impact the field of healthcare. By attempting to free data from desktop computers and portable devices like phones and tablets, and by placing it right in front of our eyes, Google Glass is trying to enhance a doctor’s ability to retrieve, see, and disseminate information rapidly and efficiently. The advantage of being able to see the vital signs on Google Glass is that the surgeon doesn’t have to turn his head away from the patient to look at a monitor. In another case, a doctor could walk into a patient’s room and begin talking to the patient while looking at the key data from an EHR on Google Glass. This could reduce
the barrier that arises between doctor and patient when the doctor has to look at a computer screen to get this information. Google Glass has given the phrase ‘doctors without borders’ a whole new meaning. The doctor’s ability to consult with a distant colleague using live, point-of-view video from the operating theatre has obvious benefits. It offers the doctor the right information at the right time for more efficient and effective patient care. Google Glass could be used as a diagnostic reference tool. A glass-wearing nurse could give a tour in real-time while the patient can ask direct questions. IS GOOGLE GLASS AN EVIL? Google has created a level of over-hype and over-expectation and there is a lot of excitement around Glass, but at the same time, the critics say the potential risk to patients is too great to ignore. As with any new technology there is the potential for misuse and Google Glass is, of course, a little problematic when it comes to privacy. Even if used responsibly by clinicians, that doesn’t guarantee that patients and medical practices aren’t at risk of privacy violations and abuse. Google Glass makes it easy to for the wearer to accidentally or surreptitiously take photos or video of patients without their permission. Google Glass has security flaws that make it subject to tampering. Maximising the utility of Google Glass will require access to sensitive patient data, such as the electronic medical record. This alone would be reason to strictly limit, if not prohibit, the use of Google Glass in the clinical environment unless it was user selective, or at the very least, password protected. Privacy concerns aside, the promise of multitasking in medicine doesn’t always mean better care. There have been concerns about distracted doctors with too much technology to focus on the task at hand. There is also concern that Google Glass can be hacked so that the device could start recording without the doctor being aware of it. Or, a hacker could cause the glasses to malfunction during a critical part of an operation. The pop-up display of Google Glass is a visual distraction rather than an audible one, and it is more difficult to ignore. For this reason, texting by mobile phone has largely replaced audible pages. THE TRUE MEANING OF HANDS-FREE A hands-free system in the clinical sense would need to be literally hands-free. Touching, or even nearly touching, a sensor to interact with the system would sharply curtail the device’s utility in any procedural environment. In a clinical setup, touching anything that is not sterile, whether it is the Glass or something in proximity to it, would require the doctor to change whatever touched the device such as a gown sleeve, glove or instrument. The biggest problem with Google Glass is cost. If there isn’t a real advantage to the physician and to patient care, the expense of the device and modification of other systems that support it can’t be justified. The small screens in general can be a problem in moving from a PC-based to mobile view of EHR data. Even the speed in a wireless device, is a hindrance for retrieval of information that typically involves huge files such as display of an x-ray or CT scan.
CONCLUSION It’s clear that change is coming to medicine and Google Glass as a wearable model heralds an evolutionary step forward. To be able to use a wearable display in a medical setting, to give doctors the chance to operate or coordinate with their peers in a hands-free environment is just is what digital transformation is all about. Google Glass has the potential to navigate the operating room and other clinical setting across the healthcare continuum and provide an essential clinical tool, from the paramedic on location to advanced care and consultations. With Google Glass or any other wearable technology, it’s all about keeping the physician’s focus on the patient. But such widespread use of Glass in the medical field may remain a concept, rather than a practice, until developers gain a better understanding of the medical environment. The developers will need to work with physicians to build apps that can function in the clinical environment taking in to consideration medical, biological, administrative and regulatory constraints. Otherwise, Google Glass will be just another good idea that never fulfilled its potential. As with any new technologies, concerns about patient privacy and information security have been raised, but since this application is still in its infancy there should be time to iron out these issues. Albert Einstein said: “I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots”. Nevertheless, his apprehension has raised a pertinent question for discussion: Has technology really overtaken or sidestepped human interaction? On the contrary, technological advances have changed the way healthcare is perceived, helping patients in their pursuit of living healthier lives. Google Glass as a technology will continue to evolve and accelerate the pace of change in medicine, offering Google-eye view of the world of medicine.
