If Paul Porter, MD, director of telemedicine at Rhode Island hospital, has any say, Google Glass will be around for a long time.

The hospital is conducting a pilot using Google Glass in conjunction with Pristine, a healthcare technology communications company that has found a way to stream live audio-video via Google Glass while complying with HIPAA privacy and security regulations.

“We live in a world of instant gratification, and in many ways, we’re testing that mindset by using Google Glass to enhance telemedicine in the emergency department,” Porter said. 

Porter will be part of a panel of experts slated to speak about Google Glass in clinical use on Monday, Dec. 8, at the mHealth Summit 2014.

Rhode Island Hospital will be using Google Glass to stream live video of a patient’s condition to consulting dermatologists.

“As the emergency medicine physician observes the patient’s skin condition, the consulting dermatologist will be able to see identical images on a tablet in real time, giving the dermatologist the ability to offer appropriate advice, diagnosis and treatment options,” Porter said.

Porter said the opportunities for Google Glass in a medical setting are very broad. “Ultimately, the use of this technology could result in better coordinated care, faster interventions, better outcomes, fewer follow-up office visits, fewer readmissions and lower costs for a wide range of disciplines, not just dermatology,” he said.

Porter also envisions Glass being used by first responders and in nursing homes as a tool to communicate with emergency medicine physicians.

The six-month feasibility study will be limited to patients in the Rhode Island Hospital emergency department who require a dermatology consult and who consent to taking part in the study.

Google Glass fits into a physician’s workflow and can save precious minutes for stroke victims, heart attack victims and other patients in need of emergency care, Porter said. Because physicians don’t have to look down at a laptop while using Google Glass, it can be used to deliver a more personal form of medicine.

“While this is a small pilot study,” Porter added, “we think it has the potential to revolutionize consult medicine.”

The mHealth Summit 2014 runs from Dec. 7-11 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside Washington, D.C. Register here.