Google Glass Medical Pioneers Balance Technology and Marketing

Some early adopters in the surgical suite are pushing ahead with efforts to capitalize on the promise of Google's revolutionary hands-free tool.

When new technology is still in its infancy, years can pass before it is widely accepted among health systems and hospitals, and even longer before the technology is a component of an organization's marketing strategy. A perfect example is the iPad.

The popular tablet computer debuted three years ago and is widely used by consumers, small businesses, and other organizations, such as schools. Hospitals are not on the bandwagon, yet, though. Safety and quality concerns rightly outweigh promoting something that isn't fully vetted for the healthcare industry. So healthcare has some catching up to do before the iPad is widely adopted.

But Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has found a way to boost its reputation as a technology pioneer with Google Glass, without endorsing Silicon Valley's hottest tech gadget, which isn't even available for distribution yet.

The wearable and interactive computer, browser, and camera (still and video) promises to revolutionize the way information is sent and shared. The video function, which is hands-free, has implications for academic medical centers like Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center because it means giving more medical students a precise line of sight during surgery.

When Ismail Nabeel, MD, assistant professor of general internal medicine at Ohio State's Medical Center, was chosen to test-run Google Glass this year, he went to the marketing department to help plan a live surgery event that would emphasize the hospital's willingness to try out new technology.

"We talk a lot here about creating the future of medicine," says Julie Scott, senior director of public relations for Ohio State's Medical Center. "From a media standpoint, and building our reputation, we felt like it was a great opportunity to highlight the innovative work that goes on here in improving healthcare and education."

On August 21, orthopedic surgeon Christopher Kaeding, MD, repaired 47-year old Paula Kobalka's torn ACL at the Columbus, Ohio-based hospital while wearing Google Glass to record and broadcast the surgery.

Kobalka says Kaeding assured her that her knee would be the only body part students would see. She says agreeing to be the guinea pig Kaeding operated on using Google Glass was easy.

"I'm a dental hygienist," she says. "I am already in the healthcare industry, and I'm all for anything to help. It's nice because 50 medical students can look at a knee in surgery. This is going to be another piece of technology. To me, at 47, l I think it's pretty awesome."

Another surgeon collaborated with Kaeding during the surgery in a second location, and a handful of medical students watched the surgery at OSU's main campus. Live images of the surgery, as well as Kaeding's commentary, were streamed to the remote laptop screens.

Kaeding, who is also executive director of OSU Sports Medicine, is partnering with Nabeel to find out the practical applications for Google Glass. In news release, he said he "appreciated the connectivity" of the technology.

Kaeding is not the first U.S. surgeon to use the glasses to transmit live surgery. In June, Rafael Grossman, MD, FACS, an employed surgeon at Brewer, Maine–based Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS), used Google Glass during an endoscopic PEG tube procedure.

Both procedures that Kaeding and Grossman performed were fairly routine, making for an easier test run for future, more complicated surgeries. Both surgeons said the video quality of Google Glass needs to improve. Both used Google Hangout to stream their surgeries. But only one surgeon was on the receiving end of their hospital's marketing machine—Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center.

In terms of showcasing the live surgery event using one of the most talked about tech devices, the hospitals could not be more different.

While Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center promoted the event to its local news outlets and across the country, EMHS did not mention Grossman's surgery at all. There's no evidence of it on their website; in fact the only mention of it is on Grossman's personal blog.

Tricia Denham, manager of community relations at Easter Maine Medical Center, which is part of EMHS, says the hospital system took a wait-and-see approach.

"We've been asked how we view this," says Denham. "While we support technology, you have to take into consideration with patient privacy and patient safety."

The reticent approach to promotion by EMHS is safe and understandable. Denham says the hospital system is known as being an early tech adopter, so there was no rush to emphasize a new tech tool that may not be around in the long-term.

"It's very preliminary," she says. "It's just too early."

Besides, says Denham, Grossman is an active blogger about medical technology and was contacted directly about the procedure, which he tweeted about, as well.

Conversely, Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center used Kaeding's surgery with Google Glass to reinforce its marketing message that the hospital is at the forefront of technology that could be used to improve healthcare.

"As an academic medical center, that's important to us," says Scott. Kaeding and the hospital were featured in a nearly two-minute news segment on CBS This Morning, and Scott says the hospital is reaching out to other media across the country as well.

"It really was a test of this technology, not an endorsement," she says. "We don't know that this will be a technology that we will end up using, but as an academic medical center, it's that kind of innovation that we're comfortable with."

The publicity generated by Kaeding's use of Google Glass will likely have a halo effect on Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center because the hospital actively promoted the event. In its first few hours, the hospital's promoted post on Facebook garnered 74 shares. Scott is happy with the response to the story so far.

"What we're really looking for is that spike in social media and that spike to the website," she says, adding they didn't set "hard and fast numbers," because they're curious to see how social media users react, and what other sites pick up the news.

Meanwhile, at EMHS, Grossman continues to try practical applications with Google Glass, and documents them on his blog, which is a really useful step-by-step guide on how to use the device. EMHS isn't ruling out promoting the glasses, but for now it's staying out of the spotlight.

There hasn't been a lot of interest in the organization," says Denham. "My sense is that boost to publicity will come later, once Google Glass is more mainstream."