Dive Brief:
- Some are saying the reign of Google Glass might be short-lived, as the technology has faced an increasing amount of public criticism in recent months.
- However, while one recent online newsletter listed Google Glass as among the top 10 tech failures in 2014, there's evidence health systems are embracing it.
- Google Glass detractors argue that the eyeglasses will lose ground to smart watches in the battle for public acceptance, and that may be true in consumer healthcare, but clinicians want—and need—to have their hands free. Google Glass makes that possible.
Dive Insight:
Just as no one wanted to walk around with Bluetooth headsets in the late 1990s save for a few business exec types, no one wants to be seen wearing Google's glasses. But in exam rooms within the confines of hospital corridors or medical practice walls, there is so much potential for the technology.
Today, Google Glass allows for physicians to have more natural conversations than they would hunched over laptops. The technology within the tangible glass can also sync with a growing number of EHRs so information transfers effortlessly. That frees up physician time while improving patient satisfaction.