Silverchain rolls out smart glasses to help specialists treat patients remotely through virtual consultations

They may look like something out of a science fiction movie but these smart glasses allow specialists to treat patients in their own lounge room. The glasses are being rolled out across the country by home health care provider Silverchain to improve access to experts for people with mobility issues and cut wait times. A nurse in a patient’s room wears the glasses, which have a built in camera and microphone, becoming the eyes and ears of a specialist who can stream in live. The glasses are controlled with voice commands. Occupational therapist Alex Skinner, who uses the smart glasses, said the ability to consult with experts instantly was a game-changer, particularly for clients in remote or regional areas. “The glasses allow more people to come in and give good outcomes in a shorter amount of time,” he said. “One client that does come to mind was a country client that I saw, who was in her 90s, I was able to do a scooter assessment with her virtually and all the paperwork we needed to do and prescribe a scooter for her virtually to give her some independence.” It is the first time the smart glasses have been adopted on a large scale for home care in Australia. Silverchain chief executive Dale Fisher AM said a pilot program of the smart glasses cut wait times for occupational therapists. “We’re talking actually a significant amount of time that we are reducing, eight to 12 months for an initial assessment,” he said. Silverchain client Douglas Scott said he was excited about the technology. “It’s mind boggling, I have never seen anything like it, and I thought wow, if this is the way of the future, so be it,” he said. The smart glasses are now being used across a range of Silverchain services including palliative care, hospital in the home, aged care, clinical support, medication management and specialist wound care.