Google Glass: Making Your Doctor More Productive?

Besides just treating patients, your doctor probably spends hours every day in front of a computer entering and looking up information from electronic health records. A California startup is looking to make that process more efficient with the help of Google Glass.

San Francisco-based Augmedix has developed a Google Glass app that promises to help doctors more quickly and easily access electronic health records so they can focus on what is most important: caring for patients. Helping make that a reality is the $3.2 million in venture funding it just secured.

"Doctors spend more than 1/3 of their day on the computer, inputting or retrieving data from electronic health records. The amount of data and documentation is overwhelming," Augmedix CEO Ian Shakil said in a statement. "Powered by Google Glass, Augmedix rehumanizes the doctor-patient interaction by delivering patient satisfaction, doctor efficiency, doctor satisfaction and health record quality."

In development since 2012, the technology could, for instance, allow doctors to videotape a patient's visit, and have important information from the conversation automatically added to the person's medical records, according to a November report from SFGate. Augmedix said it has completed several pilot studies of the technology and found "significant improvements" in physician productivity.

With the new funding, the 36-person company now plans to ramp up efforts to get its technology into the hands of doctors around the country.

This is not the first time Google Glass has made an appearance in medicine. A similar Glass app called MedRef, unveiled last May, uses facial recognition to help hospital employees more quickly and easily access patient records. In addition, a doctor in Maine this past June performed the first known surgery with Google Glass in tow.

Google's high-tech specs may not be acceptable behind the wheel, in some bars, or at the movies, but don't be surprised if you see your doctor wearing them in the future.

For more on Augmedix, check out the video below.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read the latest from Angela Moscaritolo

Read full bio