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How Google Glass Can Help Doctors Become More Patient-Centric

Augmented Reality Is Helping Doctors Improve Patient Experiences
Apr 3, 2021

Google Glass is a type of smart glasses released by Google in 2013. The glasses can project images on the inside of the lenses for wearers to view. They work like a smartphone but respond only to voice commands. You may remember the hype surrounding the smart glasses’ launch, but since then the glasses have mostly seemed to fade from the public eye.

Although Google Glass didn’t make the impact the company hoped for in the general public, but Google Glass turned out to have many useful applications in the field of medicine. Google Glass may be the most well-known smart glasses, but it’s not alone. Augmented reality technology in general can offer many benefits to doctors.

Doctor and patient smiling

How Does Augmented Reality Help Doctors Treat Patients?

Time is of the essence when it comes to treating patients. Augmented reality technology can help doctors receive the information they need about patients quickly and easily. QR codes can transmit patient files to Google Glass or other smart glasses so the doctor can get the information they need immediately. Plus, because they’re transparent glasses, the doctor can maintain eye contact with the patient at the same time.

Instead of needing to read through paperwork first before attending to a patient, a doctor can focus on the patient while receiving the necessary information at the same time. Plus, the glasses are hands free and operate on voice commands, so the doctor can request more information, take pictures, and more.

Three medical students wearing lab coats paying attention and taking notes on a clipboard

How Does Augmented Reality Help Doctors Learn?

Augmented reality technology can also improve learning experiences for medical students and doctors in training. Images and videos of actual procedures can be taken and streamed to Google Hangouts with Google Glass. Students can watch procedures as well as tele-consultations.

Two doctors wearing scrubs performing surgery on a patient

How Does Augmented Reality Help Surgeons?

Google Glass and other augmented reality technologies can also help doctors in surgery. In a demonstration involving Google Glass in surgeries, a doctor were able to consult with colleagues while the surgery was going on as well as stream the procedure to students observing on laptops. The doctor performing the surgery said that the glasses were extremely intuitive and that the technology had fit seamlessly into the operating procedure.

For informational purposes only.