Philips and Accenture will develop the first prototype to improve surgical procedures with Google Glass

The multinationals Royal Philips and Accenture have announced the creation of a prototype that will use Google Glass smart glasses to investigate ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of surgical procedures..

The collaboration and development project between Philips y Accenture is based on connecting the Google Glass to IntelliVue solutions from the first, to show a continuous transfer of patients' vital signs through these smart glasses, which could provide doctors with hands-free access to critical clinical information in the surgical process.

The development of this prototype shows how a doctor wearing Google Glass can simultaneously monitor a patient's vital signs and react to the evolution of the surgical procedure without having to move away from the patient or the procedure..

Besides, The surgeon could also monitor a patient's vital signs remotely or enlist the help and collaboration of other doctors in other locations..

Michael Mancuso, Philips Healthcare CEO Patient Care and Clinical Informatics, explains this development: “We live in a world where being agile is key and the ideas that revolutionize the industry must be converted into practical solutions that people can use.”. This research explores how doctors can achieve better access to the right information at the right time, in order to focus on more efficient and effective patient care. “It is a first step in investigating how existing technologies can be applied to improve the quality of life of patients.”.

Philips researchers from the newly created Digital Accelerator Lab, a cross-sector innovation platform with laboratories based in the Netherlands and India, have collaborated with researchers at Accenture Technology Labs to explore the potential use of Google Glass in the clinical setting.

The objective of this research project is to create a first prototype for the Google Glass and Philips IntelliVue solutions and, later, start exploring additional opportunities to seamlessly integrate Google Glass with Philips Healthcare solutions.

Para Paul Daugherty, Accenture CTO, “Accenture's work with Philips shows powerful use of wearable devices in the healthcare industry, helping doctors do their jobs more effectively and improve patient care. “This exciting work highlights the potential of digital technologies to transform the way we work and live.”.

In addition to the possibility of operating in a hands-free environment, Google Glass IntelliVue solution research was developed to explore how to improve a clinician's mobility, enabling seamless transfer of patient information on the go. Future research may indicate how to enable doctors to keep their attention on the patient., while they get, simultaneously, critical monitoring data.

Other research topics of this project are the near real-time update of vital signs on Google Glass; calls and the ability for other doctors to view data from other patients from anywhere in the hospital; access to a pre-operative safety checklist; that doctors have the opportunity to see the patient in the recovery room after surgery; hold live video conferences with other surgeons and medical staff, as well as recording surgeries from the surgeon's own point of view, for training purposes.

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