Google Glass looks exciting for the medical world, and presents a particularly powerful opportunity for medical education.
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Scooped by
Anthea Arkcoll
onto EDEL subject scoops April 3, 2014 7:16 AM
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Google Glass provides a heads-up-interface to the net. The other major affordance for learning is of video recording and streaming.
Use of Google glass affords medical personal direct and continual access information to inform decision making in real time, without compromising the sterile environment of medical workplaces such as the operating theatre.
The ability to take video recordings, which provide the practitioner's viewpoint enables the creation of truly high fidelity simulations.
Data from monitoring instruments can be streamed to Google Glass to inform the surgeon, and by having the same data displayed on screens for learners they will be able to observe how the data shapes the decision making process.
While there is existing capacity to record in operating theatres, the nature of the recording equipment has generally required a certain distance be maintained from the 'hotspot' unless it has been by use of a camera attached to an operating microscope to capture image of procedures. These cameras have a limited scope of application and show one small, albeit vitally important, part of the total operating field. Google Glass has the capacity to provide a broader line of sight view, more closely resembling a surgeon's visual field. Addiitionally, as they are minimally intrusive, sets could be worn by each person in the operating theatre, providing the perspective of each of the different health professionals, and providing a rich experience of the interaction between them (redefining on the SAMR model). Students and junior staff.
The University of California, San Francisco has approved use of Google Glass in surgery, with over 10 surgeries to date carried out with Google Glass. The health industry has been a strong early adopter of this technology, seeing the benefit of handsfree technology.
Part of the appeal of Google Glass to me is that it is hardly more intrusive than many of the headworn lights that otologists use during face to face patient consultations. As such technologies become more commonplace, clients are much more likely to be comfortable in consenting to recordings being made and it will have less impact on the natural flow of the clinical interaction.
Just as the first Google Glass users have been uploading videos of their 'glass experiences', the medical community could create a library of clinical cases. One of the strengths of learning simulations is that they overcome the ad hoc nature of case presentation during training programs and in general practice. While cognitive apprenticeships are a pedagogy of constructivist learning, this enables better scaffolding of the learning experience.
When worn by students they would allow the texting of prompts or suggestions from an experienced mentor or recording of the interaction for self-analysis or feedback from a supervisor.
In the future job aids or performance support guides could be designed specifically for this type of display, when used in combination with a GPS enabled mobile phone, guides could be specific to the location within a hospital that the wearer is in at the time. For example reminders of the infection control measures etc.
( a behaviouralist approach).
Already an application has been created for 'wearable health records' which connect to cloud based or electronic medical records. It has been reported that patients may be granted access to these records and having the ability to see an examination from the doctor's perspective may be a powerful counselling tool and way of sharing health information with significant others (modification on the SAMR model). It provides the doctor with the ability to access specific pieces of a client's health history without having to shift their visual focus away from the patient, which would allow access to the information while conducting procedures.
The issues of patient consent and maintaining appropriate privacy settings are critical from a quality of care perspective, although not reported to be a major issue in practice.
The authors note that 'device value needs to be taught... " This is true of the take up of any new technology by educators. There are also issues of social and professional etiquette - for instance that surgeons not stream score updates from the rugby world cup to Google Glass while operating…..
Due to the limitations of its voice operated interface, in situations where the handsfree function is not critical, it may often be used in combination with a mobile phone. Linking to a mobile phone is also necessary to allow any GPS enabled functions - for example if a student was wearing Google Glass while observing a consultation and they wished to access demographic data or data on the incidence of specific diseases.
I consider there to be affordances to support constructivist learning. There are many ways of augmenting documents and data access, but also the potential for redefinition, with learners constructing and sharing their learning experience.
This positive view of Google Glass in the medical setting is in direct contrast to media reports of a strong negative perception amongst parts of the general community. In fact some social commentators have suggested that one of the affordances of Google Glass is to be punched in the face by a total stranger while walking down the street, and the creation of the term 'glass holes'. In a world where privacy is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, it appears that for some, Google Glass is just too conspicuous a reminder that digital natives are as much creators of media as consumers of media - and that all those caught in their field of vision may become involuntary participants.
further links:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnnosta/2013/06/27/google-glass-teach-me-medicine-how-glass-is-helping-change-medical-education/
more about Google Glass
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fghi45fdei/google-glass/
Brennan, M. D. & Monson, V. (2014). Professionalism: good for patients and health care organisations. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 89(5), 644-652.
Schladen, M.M. & Pindea, C. G. (2009). Enhancing clinical education and training, improving care. Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare. Lionheart Publishing, Marietta: GA.