Looking through the Google Glass is an interdisciplinary project involving the SOMA (School of Medicine in Arizona) D.O. students, the Physician Assistant program and the dental students of ASDOH (the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health) and constitutes the first Step of the Looking Glass Project.

Looking through the Google Glass supplies Google glass technology to students in all three programs for promoting active learning and teaching in the virtual classroom as well as in the field and through distance programs involving SOMA’s 11 community health centers.   Currently, A.T. Still SOMA’s curriculum is a 1:3 program with the first year being delivered to all first year students at the medical school in Mesa, AZ.  The rest of the medical school experience brings 10 -12 students to one of eleven community health centers across the United States to complete their medical education.

PHASE ONE: All student programs involved need to explore how to use Glass. The uses of Glass are many but how they will aid the teaching of our students, namely the D.O., the D.M.D. and the PA will be quite different.  Each program will create a  student experience that requires both critical thinking and  a multi-disciplinary team approach in the treatment of a patient. 

School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona--SOMA’s initial participation in the Looking Glass Project would be two-fold:

1. Utilizing the Google glass to record patient-student doctor interactions at the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th year level and to be able to immediately discuss outcomes with the preceptors in the field.
2.  To record interesting cases and interactions to develop more effective small-group interactions and experiences and  help to create an extensive data base for patients being seen at the Community Health Centers (CHC’s).

 SOMA is uniquely positioned to be an active participant in using and adapting technology currently being used by the VA Telehealth Community. 

Physician’s Assistant Program—The PA program will participate in the field through simulations involving EMT recordings and descriptions recorded through the Google glass to the physicians at the receiving hospital improving acute patient care and seamless transfer of care to the Emergency Room physician.

Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health (ASDOH) will also participate in providing community health care and screening by using the Google glass to “ pattern match”  the oral cavity presentation to common diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and thyroid disease. This will aid in early diagnosis and possible prevention of common treatable diseases.

Looking through the Google Glass will provide both students, faculty and interested stake holders an improved method for engagement, teaching and assessment issues.  The Google Glass is an interactive platform ensuring more effective and efficient communication between educator and student leading to transdisciplinary interactions and building a frameword of true interprofessional education which is patient-centered. The ability to interact with the Telehealth technology developed by the Veterans Administration will also expand the versatility and access to data in the field. The Google Glass combined with the committment of ATSU-SOMA to early field experience and patient exposure through the Community Health Centers seems to be ideally suited and placed to deliver the best medical care possible allowing our school to fulfill its mission of serving the underserved.

Phase One will be completed this academic year and Phase Two will be implemented to further develop the clerkship years by providing a method for sharing experiences across the nation via the Google Glass technology.  This will ensure that all 3rd year students obtain critical skills and are able to show the seven core competencies for the practice of Osteopathic medicine.  The outreach component will also allow for the continued development of osteopathic manual manipulative technique. 
 

The overall reference for this work would be the technical team at Google who developed the Glass project.  Far too many to list here, the release of Google Glass has already created a "rush to application" in the medical world.

I would like to acknowledge my school ATSU SOMA and our Dean Dr. Kay Kalousek and our Associate Dean of Curriculum, Dr. Ray Pavlick, as well as my co-author on this project-Dr. Jay Crutchfield who directs our Anatomy program and uses 3-D anatomy platforms for teaching an integrative anatomy offering at the school. Dr. Crutchfield continues to be a visionary and leader in our program.