Reasons Why Your Doctor May Be An Early Adopter Of Google Glass

About a week ago, I caught an interview on Bloomberg with technology entrepreneur and investor Keith Rabois. He was asked what the chances are that Google Glass will become mainstream, and without hesitation, he said ‘zero chance.’ Since I’m so involved in the technology community, his comment took me aback. Sure, we may not all decide to be an early adopter, but really? Zero chance?

He went on to say that the majority of people don’t like wearing glasses, and no company will ever be able to make wearing glasses enticing. He continued by saying he had LASIK surgery a decade ago to correct his vision, which many people do. People also opt to wear contacts, so no way would people suddenly want to start wearing glasses. Add to that the somewhat disturbing feeling of always being connected and the desire many people have to protect privacy, and maybe he’s right. Only time will tell.

Although many places have already banned Google Glass, there are just as many that will most likely embrace it. I’ve already written about how invaluable Glass could be at Universities around the world, but there is another place that will most likely benefit in a huge way from Glass. That place is your local hospital or doctor’s office. You may find that your own doctor is an early adopter of Glass. Just imagine how helpful it would be for your doctor to be able to monitor your vital medical information while he is performing surgery.

There would be no more dependence on other people to convey the information or losing valuable time while trying to interpret information from different screens in the room. Dr. Pierre Theodore is already using Glass during surgery. He says it’s not distracting at all. He compares it to looking in your rear view mirror while driving.

Dr. Theodore uses it to project images of scans and other valuable patient information, and he says that it is very helpful during surgery. In addition to these applications, Glass could also be used to record medical procedures for training purposes and to reduce the need for so much paperwork. I don’t know if Glass will be what allows us to take patient care to the next level, but it is safe to say that your doctor might be an early adopter of this new technology. The question is, will you also be an early adopter? According to most ‘expert opinions,’ you probably won’t be.