Philips Healthcare (NYSE:PHG) is bringing Google Glass into the operating room in a big way, connecting the consumer technology with Philips’ patient monitoring solutions.
The technology giant needed only 2 weeks to develop its 1st proof of concept with Google Glass, which was rigged to receive patient vital signs and display them on the glasses themselves. The glasses can also connected physicians in different locations, enabling remote assistance and data sharing.
"We live in a world where being nimble is key and industry-altering ideas need to be converted to practical solutions that people can use," Philips Healthcare’s patient care and clinical informatics CEO Michael Mancuso said in prepared remarks. "This research explores how doctors can achieve better access to the right information at the right time so they can focus on more efficient and effective patient care."
Philips isn’t the 1st to consider Google Glass for healthcare purposes, but the giant’s backing does lend extra credibility to something that was more novelty than serious medical implement. Other clinicians and techies have tinkered with Google Glass, even using it to capture footage and live-stream a routine gastrointestinal surgery, but Philips is taking a more sustained and serous approach.
"The new concept demonstration depicts how a doctor wearing the display could simultaneously monitor a patient’s vital signs and react to surgical procedural developments without having to turn away from the patient or procedure," according to the company. "A physician could also monitor a patient’s vital signs remotely or enlist assistance from doctors in other locations."
Philips plans to continue pursuing Google Glass through the company’s ‘Digital Accelerator Lab,’ including testing the technology to call up patient records from anywhere in a hospital, access pre-surgery check-lists and check in on patients in the recovery room, according to a Philips statement.