University of California’s Irvine School of Medicine has gifted its students with Google Glass, becoming the first medical school to utilize wearable technology.
UC Irvine announced that its first and second year students would get to use the Glass during the anatomy and clinical courses while the third and fourth year students will use it for their hospital rotations.
Dr. Ralph V. Clayman, Dean of medicine at UCI said, “I believe digital technology will let us bring a more impactful and relevant clinical learning experience to our students.”
“Enabling our students to become adept at a variety of digital technologies fits perfectly into the ongoing evolution of healthcare into a more personalized, participatory, home-based and digitally driven endeavor.”
UCI has deputed Dr. Warren Wiechmann, assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine and associate dean of instructional technologies to oversee the implementation program at the campus.
The deployment will start this month with 10 pairs of the Glass for the third and fourth year students and about 30 pairs will be supplied in August when the first and second year students begin their courses.
UC Irvine has conducted pilot tests in its emergency department and Intensive Care Unit before full deployment and said the Glass was helpful.
There were also earlier instances of the Glass being used in the field of medicine. A Selen G Parekh, an orthopedic surgeon from India used the Glass while performing a foot and ankle surgery in Jaipur.
The medical field is actively adopting Google Glass for the functionality it offers and the potential benefits it gives to medical professionals. The wearable device eliminates the need to look up patient information from other devices like tablets as it will be readily available at the blink of an eye or a nod of the head.
