This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Patients preferred Google Glass over standard telephone consultation for ED dermatology evaluation

When a dermatologist was not immediately available for face-to-face evaluation, patients presenting with skin rash in an urban emergency department said they would prefer a Google Glass video consultation compared with a standard telephone consultation, according to recently published study results.

Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study of 348 patients who presented with a concern of a rash at an urban academic emergency department (ED) between March 1, 2014, and July 4, 2014. Thirty-nine patients met study requirements, which included being between the ages of 18 and 89 years, English-speaking and presenting with dermatosis requiring a dermatology consultation; 31 patients consented to participate in the study.

An initial standard dermatology consultation, which included a telephone call and, when needed, a static photograph of the rash, was held with the dermatology consultation resident. A separate teledermatologist evaluated the patients using Google Glass and Pristine IO (Pristine), a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant video platform. A Google Nexus 7 tablet was used to send a video link to the teledermatologist. The patients then completed a brief survey regarding the experience after completion of the two consultations.

Twenty-nine patients (93.5%) reported overall satisfaction with the video consultation, seven patients (22.6%) preferred the care provided through the mobile video communication compared with a standard face-to-face visit in a clink, and 23 patients (74.2%) reported they preferred the mobile video consultation compared with a standard ED telephone consultation. Thirty patients (96.8%) reported being comfortable that their privacy was protected during the video encounter. Twenty-eight of 30 patients (93.3%) reported they would recommend video consultation to others.

“Because of the interactive nature of Glass, the teledermatologist was able to appreciate both the gestalt and nonspecific skin eruptions and specific dermatoses,” the researchers wrote. “The teledermatologist could also expand the medical history and physical examination by directing the ED physician to ask specific questions or examine additional locations.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The study was supported by the University Emergency medicine Foundation for the purchase and use of Google Glass.