Evaluating the Effectiveness of Smart Glasses in Reducing Patient Care Time in Emergency Departments: Cohort Study From the Hangzhou Asian Games.

BACKGROUND

Challenges in emergency medicine include overcrowding, insufficient emergency care resources, and extended emergency department (ED) waiting times. These issues contribute to delays in treatment and unfavorable outcomes. This situation worsens in events with large crowds and particularly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The integration of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses could potentially enhance patient care in the ED.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of AR smart glasses in reducing patient care time in the ED during the 19th Asian Games and the Fourth Asian Para Games Hangzhou 2022 (HAG2022). The study specifically compares the prepreparation time (PPT) and consult response time (CRT) in patients receiving teleconsultations via AR smart glasses versus those receiving standard care without AR.

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted between September 13, 2023, and October 28, 2023, during HAG2022. The data were gathered from AR smart glasses using 5G technology at the HAG2022 village and electronic health records at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, China. The study included 2 groups: the teleconsultation by augmented reality telemedicine system (ARTS) group and the non-ARTS group. The main data assessed were PPT and CRT in ED.

RESULTS

During the research period, 80 patients were divided into 2 cohorts: the ARTS cohort (n=10) and the non-ARTS cohort (n=70). Gender and age demographics showed no significant differences between the cohorts. The ARTS cohort had a significantly lower average PPT of 23 minutes compared to the non-ARTS cohort's 40.3 minutes (P<.001). In addition, CRT in the ARTS cohort was significantly lower at 15.6 minutes compared to the non-ARTS cohort's 164.8 minutes (P=.03). The outcomes suggest that smart glasses are effective in decreasing PPT and CRT.

CONCLUSIONS

AR smart glasses have the potential to enhance patient admission efficiency and reduce care time in EDs. However, despite these benefits, further research is needed to confirm their effectiveness, and additional studies are essential to identify the challenges and barriers to their successful implementation in emergency medicine.