Smart Glasses for Supporting Distributed Care Work: Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Telemedicine Technology

Background:

• Traditional telemedicine systems can be cumbersome for medical professionals in hands-busy environments.
• Smart glasses offer hands-free operation and video-based consultation, emerging as a promising telemedicine tool.
• Previous research has explored smart glasses in various healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the design, usage, and evaluation of smart glasses in telemedicine for distributed care coordination.
• To highlight the benefits and limitations of smart glasses for medical professionals in practice.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across 6 health care and computer science databases.
• The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was employed.
• 21 articles were selected for in-depth analysis from 5865 retrieved articles.

Main Results:

• All reviewed studies utilized off-the-shelf smart glasses and videoconferencing software, indicating high technology readiness.
• Common features included video/audio streaming, annotation, augmented reality, and hands-free interactions.
• Benefits and user acceptance were noted, alongside barriers such as technical limitations, human factors, privacy concerns, and organizational challenges.

Conclusions:

• User-centered design, improved hardware, and software reliability are crucial for realizing smart glasses' potential.
• Further research should investigate medical professionals' needs, preferences, and the impact on clinical workflows.
• Findings can guide the design and implementation of smart glasses to enhance organizational and patient outcomes.