How Google Glass Will Be Used In Healthcare

Google Glass is a wearable computer with a head-mounted display that is being developed by Google. The device is hands free and displays information in a smartphone-like format that can interact with the internet via voice commands.  While Google’s advertising for Glass thus far has focused on the social uses of its features, the technology is likely to have extensive applications for personal healthcare and professional medicine.
Several features of the device will be especially useful in professional medicine.  Doctors could check on patients at any time with live video feeds.  This could make treatment much more convenient for immobile patients, or ones in regions without easy access to healthcare facilities. Also, visiting nurses could record sessions with these patients, to be reviewed by physicians who can provide feedback as necessary.
EMTs wearing Glass could send live video feeds to on-call emergency room physicians.  The physicians could then prepare to treat patients before they arrive and provide remote diagnosis, assessment, and instructions before and during patient transport.
With Glass, physicians could immediately access a patient-personalized stream of information from their electronic databases while examining patients. Having instant access to reference materials could save considerable time and help doctors to provide accurate care. While deciding what medications to prescribe, physicians could look up drug interactions and contraindications based on the patient’s medical history.
When diagnosing patients, visual recognition apps could recognize visible symptoms and help doctors make more accurate diagnoses. Also the images of strange visible symptoms could be sent to specialists, who could provide immediate input.
Doctors will be able to record and store conversations with patients for future reference. This will be particularly useful for doctors with bad handwriting. Glass will also have instant translation which could allow doctors and patients to communicate across language barriers.
To help patients better understand the location of ailments, medical professionals can overlay x-ray and MRI scans over patients’ bodies.
Google Glass will also have many uses in surgery. Surgeons could use Glass to record operations from their visual perspective for teaching purposes, and trainees could use it for surgical simulations before their first operations. Surgeons could see real-time patient data like vital signs and CT scans as they operate.  Surgeons could also get remote assistance from other surgeons and medical assistants watching a live feed of the surgery.
Finally, Glass could be very helpful in Physical therapy. Therapists could record sessions with patients over time to track their progress, and overlay an ideal range of motion during sessions.
Google Glass is without a doubt going to revolutionize healthcare and the best part is it will be here by the end of this year.
Source: Medical Daily