Augmented reality has been a standard of science fiction for decades, but now it’s a reality. We all remember the Starbucks app that made the Red Holiday Cup come to life last year, right? If not here’s a video on YouTube. Of course that’s just the tip of the iceberg as Google and Microsoft have both started playing with the concept; Google with Project Glass and Microsoft by filing a patient with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “event augmentation with real-time information†last year. Google’s Project Glass was even named one of 2012’s best inventions by TIME.
Setting aside the marketing hype for such things for a minute consider the practical uses in pharmacy practice for something like Google’s Project Glass. Imagine two similar, but distinctly different scenarios:
Scenario #1 – In the pharmacy: A technician, or pharmacist, could wear something like this to positively identify items throughout the pharmacy during the routine course of their work. Reach for the wrong bottle of something and get a warning. View patient information based on what’s in your hand. Pull up patient profiles without having to use a keyboard, mouse, or chart. It’s a simple, yet efficient use of readily available technology to improve safety and improve access to patient information. Imagine looking at a patient during rounds and having their active medications, allergy history, etc pop up in your glasses. Or having the ability to view the IV compounding process in picture or video when viewing the finished product; telepharmacy via your glasses. What a concept.
Scenario #2 – In the home: A patient could utilize such technology in a similar fashion. Imagine having medication reminders pop up in their glasses. Think improved adherence. Then imagine a patient with many different medications receiving direction when they go to retrieve a medication bottle from their shelf. If they reach for the wrong bottle they get a warning. When they have the correct medication in hand they get a green light along with directions for use and any other tidbits of information they might need; with or without food, no alcohol, may cause drowsiness, etc. Imagine such technology to assist patient when measuring liquid medications for oral or injectable use; insulin for example. This would go a long way in preventing acetaminophen overdoses from parents that accidentally use the wrong measuring device with the wrong concentration. What a concept, a virtual pharmacist in your direct line of sight.
Working on something so unique, and potentially groundbreaking would be exciting. I hope to see something like this before I retire from practice or at the very least before I die.
It’s not science fiction anymore.
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