Google Glass Comes to Boston ER

BOSTON — Google Glass has been introduced into the emergency department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Though the first in the nation to implement the Google technology, the medical center’s pilot program has been welcomed by hospital staff.

“For us, getting the right information at the right time has always been the challenge,” said Dr. Steven Horng, an ER doctor at the hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, in an interview with eWeek. “We run around a lot in the emergency department. We get interrupted all the time, and that’s kind of part of our job. Every time that you go to a computer, you go through interruptions.”

The program began in December, and 10 emergency room physicians are currently sharing four Google Glass devices. Physicians are able to directly access medical record stored electronically since 1997 using the secure app Wearable Intelligence. The hospital’s IT staff built the back end for the app.

"Being able to access [patient] information very quickly and not have to access a computer is very helpful," he said. "Being able to simplify the workflow is fantastic. Now, without having to look it up, the information is delivered to Glass as needed."

ER physicians can pair Google Glass with iPhones using Bluetooth, giving doctors the ability to speak hands-free. Doctors can easily view a of the list of upcoming patients, as well as updates on when X-rays, CT scans and other imaging results are available for diagnostic purposes. In an environment where every second is critical, these available visuals greatly benefit medical staff, Horng said.

“A lot of these are really small things, but small things add up,” Horng said. “It gives us more situational awareness. When you can take care of 50 or 60 patients in a shift, you have to keep track of it all. This really helps see things as soon as they come back.”