4 ms·
Wow, I just noticed your nick and wish I could give you more upvotes for that alone! It looks like you have a background in epidemiology, so not sure if you ar
by skue 13y ago
Wow, I just noticed your nick and wish I could give you more upvotes for that alone!
It looks like you have a background in epidemiology, so not sure if you are seriously concerned or posting for the pure perfection of deploying your nick. But it is an interesting question and assumedly one they thought through.
The alternative inputs they mentioned (head tilts) may have been designed to minimize needing to touch Glass. Certainly touching glass after having ones hands on some patients would be a concern -- and for the health provider given that it's rather close to the eyes.
Providers do touch smartphones, tablets, pens, etc. when they are with patients. I wonder whether Glass can be chem wiped. Many of the chemicals used in the wipes are reportedly weak carcinogens as well (at least where I trained), so personally I would be concerned about putting something on my face that had been wiped repeatedly during a 16 hour shift.
However, if it's not touched, then it's no worse than eyeglasses and likely to be less of a fomite than a white coat or a necktie.[1]
[1] http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB125859205137154753?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB125859205137154753.html http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB125859205137154753?mg=... (Plenty of peer reviewed studies, but this is publicly accessible.)
- Fomite 13y agogrins It was a perfect use of my nick, but more importantly I'm a computational epidemiologist who works on hospital acquired infections. It's mostly a curiosity, to see if the gesture and command based Glass system results in less carriage than some other tools. It likely cuts down on some things, but I touch my own glasses all the damned time to adjust them, and I'm used to them - I've been wearing them all my life.
- skue 13y agoAs someone who trained recently (after hand washing became a widespread practice), I can say that I developed a consciousness I didn't have previously. Though I don't practice now, I still get this strong sense that my hands are unclean and need to be washed when I blow my nose, touch something dirty, am around someone who is ill, etc. But not touching my face (or glasses) was a much harder habit to break and something I still do subconsciously. So I'd also be curious how often docs using Glass do this. Also, hospitals already sterilize surgical instruments, but I did a quick search and it looks like some manufacturers are designing devices meant to be deployed in nursing stations in response to mobile.[1] So maybe more use of these devices will actually drive increased use of rapid sanitizers within the clinic, as a secondary benefit. http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2013/09/steridesign-introduces-new-sterilization-devices-for-high-touch-electronic-devices.aspxhttp://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2013/09/steridesign-introduces-new-sterilization-devices-for-high-touch-electronic-devices.aspx http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2013/09/steridesig...
- Fomite 13y agoYeah, I'm waiting for "dump your stuff in here" boxes at nursing stations that at least give everything a UV once-over or the like.
- Yhippa 13y agoWhat is significant about the GP's nick?