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WHAT CLINICIANS ARE SAYING "I believe that clinicians can successfully use Google Glass to improve quality, safety, and efficiency in a manner that is less bothersome to the patients than a clinician staring at a keyboard." — John D. Halamka, MD (Life as a Healthcare CIO) Privacy: a Non-Issue? The flip side of the optimistic potential innovation accompanying Glass' introduction is a healthy dose of pessimism. Early critics point to privacy vulnerabilities and HIPAA compliance as particular sticking points — ones both Samani and Dr. Kraft say are non-issues. "We're overly concerned with privacy and HIPAA overall, and in some cases, this squelches innovation, as well as smart and effective patient care," Dr. Kraft says. "Privacy is incredibly important, but we can overvalue it at the cost of many things. If you have a smartphone in your pocket, you already have a camera that's capable of taking pictures and transmitting them. Glass is simply the next generation of that technology." Web services such as Amazon are already HIPAA-compliant, so much of the data infrastructure has been established. All that is required of developers is writing a few lines of encryption, Samani says. Skeptics have voiced concerns about Glass' lack of password protection, including Texas Congressman Joe Barton, who petitioned Google to answer questions pertaining to public privacy concerns. In a written response to Congressman Barton's queries, Susan Molinari, Vice President, Public Policy and Government Relations for Google Inc., said several protections are already in place or in development. Because Glass is equipped with flash memory, users can store data on the hardware itself (the same way you store pictures and songs on your phone). Although much of the data storage is dedicated to operational performance, a certain amount can be used to store user information, such as pictures and videos, raising protection concerns over such data. While Google recognizes the need to protect this information from third-party users, there is no privacy protection presently in place. Google is currently "experimenting with 'lock' solutions to determine what would work best for this type of device," according to Molinari's letter. Taking Part in the Future Somewhere in the deluge of unanswered questions about Glass lies limitless possibility for innovation. Dr. Kraft urges physicians to embrace the new platform and take ownership in authoring a new chapter in healthcare history. "Try it out," Dr. Kraft says. "Imagine what might be possible. Work with developers to build applications on the platform that meet your specific needs. Take part in the process and don't simply dismiss it as another gadget. Google Glass won't be for everybody, but in the right setting, it will have lots of utility." I "At the moment, it is not clear if this type of technology will ever become popular, and even if it does, would people be interested in using it in a healthcare setting? If the answer is yes, then professionals and their regulatory bodies will have to decide fairly quickly whether it is ethical and/or legal to allow patients and their families to bring this into the consulting room." — David Kerr, MD, Diabetologist (BMJ Group Blogs) "This is the natural evolution of the interaction between human, device and the Virtual Highway." — Rafael J. Grossman, MD, FACS, (@ZGJR Blog) MDNEWS.COM I MD NEWS | 23

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