Google Glass eyed as future healthcare tool

Wearable devices potentially hold the key to new approaches to improving healthcare quality, delivery costs and consumer engagement, said Antonio Zugaldia, chief technology officer at Washington, D.C.-based Silica Labs, which develops Google Glass healthcare apps. He spoke during a July 11 health innovation event at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health, which is a “Google Glass explorer,” or part of a group brainstorming its uses.

Zugaldia gave a demonstration of the device to show how Google Glass could help patients in their pursuit of healthier lives. Google Glass is attached to the right side of a pair of glasses made from a titanium frame with a touchpad along the side of the frame, but also with a voice recognition ability to operate its functionalities, including Google search (including access to Wikipedia pages), picture taking, video recording, texting, getting directions and conducting video calls. Google Glass allows wearers to transmit a real-time view of what’s in front of them.

“It’s not a virtual reality world. The glass is above the eye, that’s important,” said Zugaldia. “It’s distraction-free. It lets you have a conversation and keep eye contact with someone.”

Speaking to its potential in a healthcare context, he said, “One of the good things about it is you don’t need to use your hands, so it's good for education and training.” Thus, medical students could benefit.

Staff from the Capitol Hill Medical Center took a test drive with Google Glass to explore whether it could facilitate better patient care.

“We had overwhelming positive feedback on it,” Keith Montgomerty, executive director of Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health, said at the event.

Among healthcare uses, Zugaldia said Google Glass could identify and provide general information on a patient—including general medical information, age, job, primarily language and where he or she lives—immediately at the point of care to Glass-wearing staff.

Further, if a discussion turns to a healthier lifestyle, the Google Glass apps can immediately display a map of nearby farmers’ markets locations to direct a patient, he said.

Another scenario, played out at the event, showed a pregnant patient given a remote tour of her future delivery room. A Glass-wearing nurse gave a tour in real-time while the patient looked on and asked questions.

When asked of her views on the technology, Connie Carpenter, RN—who works with patients following discharge from the Capitol Hill Medical Center—said the device could successfully be deployed with diabetic patients, especially teenagers, to monitor their condition or medical compliance. Also, it could be used with newborn mothers after they have left the hospital, when they lack immediate access to nurses.

“It would be nice to see what they are talking about and walking them through,” Carpenter said.

Some issues identified by The Garfield Innovation Center staff that could come up with Google Glass include privacy and security, device cost and comfort. At this time, it costs $1,500 to manufacture one Google Glass, although Zugaldia said he expects it to cost closer to $500 or less when it goes to market.