UCI School of Medicine integrating Google Glass into curriculum

The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine is betting that wearable technology is the wave of the future.

The medical school announced that it is taking steps to integrate Google Glass into its four-year curriculum—from first- and second-year anatomy courses and clinical skills training to third- and fourth-year hospital rotations.

The school is especially interested in Google Glass’s ability to display information in a smartphone-like, hands-free format; being able to communicate with the internet via voice commands; and being able to securely broadcast and record patient care and student training activities using HIPAA-compliant proprietary software.

This effort coincides with ongoing clinical use of Glass at UC Irvine Medical Center, where the technology already has been piloted in operating rooms, intensive care units and the emergency department to assess its impact on physician efficiency and patient safety, according to the school.

“Our use of Google Glass is in keeping with our pioneering efforts to enhance student education with digital technologies—such as our iPad-based iMedEd Initiative, point-of-care ultrasound training and medical simulation. Enabling our students to become adept at a variety of digital technologies fits perfectly into the ongoing evolution of healthcare into a more personalized, participatory, home-based and digitally driven endeavor,” said Ralph V. Clayman, MD, dean of medicine, in a statement.