Google Glass technology to improve doctor-paramedic collaboration
A Chicago-based ambulance service has become the first in the US to use Google Glass to transmit real time footage directly to doctors, providing critical visual information
Google Glass could be about to revolutionise the face of medicine. It has been announced that the company is working in collaboration with MedEx to help paramedics show doctors what they're faced with at an emergency scene
Google Glass, which was withdrawn from production on January 19, is now being trialled in the US for use within healthcare to allow paramedics to transmit live audio and video to hospitals. The programme, launched at The Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and trialled by MedEx, allows real time footage to be sent directly to a hospital tablet or desktop where doctors can see the patient through the paramedic’s eyes with the ability to zoom in on any abrasions or injuries.
The programme was approved after two and a half years of negotiating
Speaking in a demonstration video at the Chicago Auto Show, Michael Pieroni, MedEx Director of Operations, described the ease with which paramedics can relay the information to doctors. He said: “We are able to work on our patients hands-free, we don’t have to touch the glasses at all, they [doctors] see and hear exactly what we see and hear.”
The programme was approved after two and a half years of negotiating between Google and the Illinois Department of Public Health, and involves 10 new critical care ambulances to be introduced as WiFi hotspots to support the Google Glass technology. Prior to this, paramedics in the field would communicate with hospitals through a two-way radio or mobile phone but doctors can now receive critical visual information before the patient arrives.
The real time visual assessment Google Glass offers is particularly advantageous for trauma, burns, cardiac arrests and strokes where a quick response is crucial. Pieroni added: “It saves time, it can help diagnose things faster and in our business minutes can be brain cells, can be heart cells, time is everything.”
