Using Google Glass to solve communication and surgical education challenges in the operating room.

INTRODUCTION Although the use of video recording became popularized in otolaryngology beginning in 1959, a new generation of wearable technology has evolved. One of these technologies includes a device called Google Glass (Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA), hereafter referred to simply as Glass. This device allows the capture of video from the perspective of the wearer. In addition, it provides an interface to access the Internet, communicate with others, and use applications hands free—relying mostly on voice commands. Google is not the only company developing wearable technology; other products such as Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 (Rochester, NY) have similar features to Glass. Despite the many existing products, none is as popular and as widely implemented for use in medicine as Glass, which has been used experimentally in specialties including primary care, dermatology, and pediatric surgery. With this in mind, we set out to demonstrate the utility of this technology specifically within the context of otolaryngologic surgery. Furthermore, we utilized Glass to assess the potential to augment surgical education and enhance communication with the surgical team. MATERIALS AND METHODS