High tech goggles will be worn by community nurses on home visits to free up time with patients, as part of an NHS pilot.
As long as a patient consents, the virtual reality style headset can transcribe the appointment directly to electronic records, reducing time-consuming admin for nurses.
Staff will be able to share live footage directly with hospital colleagues to get a second opinion, avoiding the need for further appointments or hospital admission, and includes thermal imaging to help assess how wounds and injuries have healed.
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‘Some of the best innovations come from local solutions and so through this project, NHS staff can test what works for them and what provides the best possible care for patients,’ said NHS director for transformation Dr Tim Ferris.
‘These new smart glasses are the latest pioneering tech and really show us what the future of the NHS could look like – they are a win-win for staff and patients alike, freeing up time consuming admin for nurses, meaning more time for patient care.’
Community nurses are estimated to spend more than half of their day filling out forms and manually inputting patient data.
The pilot will help to expand their capacity, giving them more time for clinical tasks such as checking blood pressure, dressing wounds and assessing patient’s relevant health needs.
NHS England awarded the trust £400,000 to test the technology as part of a wider innovation project, which is set to fund a further 16 pilot projects over the coming months.
‘Health and care research is crucial to transforming our health service and ensure the NHS is able to deliver world-class care,’ said Minister for Health, Maria Caulfield.
‘These new high-tech goggles have the potential to revolutionise the way community nurses carry out home visits – reducing admin and increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment. Yet again, this technology is testament to the UK’s innovation and our front-footedness in the discovery of ground-breaking research which can help us beat the COVID backlogs.’