Google Glass is extending its application into the health care system. Augmedix is a service that uses wearable technology to reduce the doctor’s focus on the patient’s medical files on the computer. Ian Shakil and Pelu Tran founded Augmedix in 2012 to provide remote scribing services in health care centers. Doctors only need to interact with the patient, while a scribe that is not in the room can document the patient’s information.
With Augmedix, both physicians and patients have experienced greater benefits. Physicians can spend more time with the patients and use less time writing and organizing patient notes. According to Ted Chung, a Training Performance Specialist at Augmedix, in an interview with JSR, “the goal of the company is to ‘rehumanize healthcare.’” Instead of the physician having to stare at the computer as the patient talks or a separate scribe writing the patient notes in the room, which can make the patient feel uncomfortable, Augmedix allows the physician to focus on the patient more.
According to the Augmedix website, “Augmedix is a HIPAA-compliant documentation service,” which means that all patient information is kept confidential. With the remote scribing service, patients are informed about the Google Glass service and are asked to sign a consent form before their appointment. Chung states that “around 90 to 95 percent of the people comply to the use of Google Glass during their appointment.”
Augmedix and the Google Glass has been implemented in several health care centers, such as CHI Health and Palo Alto Medical Foundation. With the service’s success, Augmedix has been spreading throughout medical centers and has being followed by several news outlets.
