A Google Glass pilot underway at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's emergency department has proven so successful the Boston hospital plans a full deployment by month's end.
The effort, launched initially in December 2013, is enhancing bedside care, as well as emergency response efforts, CIO John Halamka writes in a new post to his Life as Hospital CIO blog.
"Glass is a new medium that seems best suited for retrieval of summarized information and it really differentiates itself when it comes to real-time updates and notifications," Halamka writes. "When paired with location services, it will be able to truly deliver actionable information to clinicians in real time."
For the pilot, Glass was fully integrated with the ED's information dashboard using a custom application to ensure needed security and provide necessary privacy safeguards, according to Halamka. Physicians scanned a bar code upon entering a patient's emergency room and the dashboard then sent patient information to the clinician.
"Armed with that data the doctor can communicate with the patient while also having real-time access to vital signs and lab results during the examination," Halamka says.
Patients, so far he adds, have been intrigued by the technology; a few have asked "detailed questions."
Last week, FierceMobileHealthcare reported on a Google Glass pilot at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. For the six-month pilot, which began last Friday, the hospital will use the tool to stream live images of patient medical conditions to remote consulting specialists.
In particular, that pilot will focus on ER patients with skin conditions who agree to participate in the study.
For more information:
- read Halamka's post