One of the most promising digital technologies happening today in the healthcare industry and many other fields is the implementation of Augmented Reality. The uses seem almost endless in helping patients, technicians, RN's and physicians in so many aspects of care. Within the next five years it will most likely be in use in most facilities.
Augmented Reality is quite different from Virtual Reality. Virtual Reality creates a 3d world and detaches the user from reality. Augmented Reality is completely the opposite. It uses real-world, physical environment cues that are augmented by computer-generated sensory inputs like video, sound, graphics and even GPS data. It could, and probably will, eventually be incorporated into a headset or contact lens, or glasses.
There is already a company called AccuVein that has created a handheld scanner that projects over the skin and can show where the veins are located in the patients' bodies so that it is easier to stick an IV the first time. Sticking a vein on the first time is not the easiest part of anybody's job and it is even harder in the elderly and children. These scanners have already been efficiently used on over 10 million patients.
During surgery precision is of the utmost importance. Augmented Reality assists surgeons in the Operating Room environment and can and will help save lives and treat patients more easily. There is software that can create a 3D image of tumors making it possible for surgeons to see in real time, but without the radiation of xrays.
Of course, Google Glass can be used in so many different ways. Wearing Google Glass in an Australian study allowed breastfeeding mothers to show counsellors through their own view what was happening and get help in real time, any time of day or night. This is just one example of the versatility of these devices and programs.
How about if the physician or RN could show the patient what is happening inside their body.... and what the long term effect will be if they do not change their diet and/or activities? This visualization could provide the incentive patients need to make difficult changes to improve their health. The possibilities are endless.
The changes and progress in all aspects of computer technology will only continue to explode as it has since the first computers which required rooms full of machinery. Now we all carry a mini computer in our pockets every day. This was unheard of even twenty years ago. Keep researching and keep up. There are so many great ways to learn about all these innovations today. Staying on top of what's happening will only benefit you long term and enhance your value in the job market as a travel nurse.
Mary Crawford, HealthCare Employment Network
