Hospital celebrates addition of virtual nursing

Owensboro Health Regional Hospital celebrated the initial implementation of its virtual nursing system Thursday afternoon, which hospital officials are confident will enhance the patient experience while also being beneficial for nurses.

Virtual nurses are Owensboro Health employees who are on site — working out of what OH has dubbed “The Bunker” within the hospital for maximum security of patient information. Virtual nurses can communicate with bedside nurses through an audio/video call on the television in the room. The system was implemented in May in the ortho-neuro and pulmonary units, with them serving as test runs before the system is eventually expanded throughout the hospital.

“We chose to do just two units to start so we can better understand how it’s working, what’s going well and what’s not going well, and we can actually see how we’re improving as we go,” said Beth Steele, Owensboro Health’s chief operating officer. “We’re excited about this program. It really displays our core commitment of innovation.

“I think one of the things for me personally that’s so exciting is the work that went into this, and I believe we’ve built a best in class virtual nursing model. We studied a lot of other models from across the country, and other states, and I think we brought the best of the best to Owensboro. I’m really excited.”

Virtual nursing is expected to enhance care by eliminating some tasks that require a nurse, but don’t have to be performed in person, giving bedside nurses more time to attend to patients’ needs. Virtual nurses will assist in admission and discharge processes, check on patients and address needs, monitor vital signs, labs and other results for early detection of a changing condition and double-check high risk medications with the bedside nurse.

“If their virtual nurses do all of those tasks, that can give up to 30-some minutes per patient per day back to the (bedside) nurse,” said Joni Simms, Owensboro Health Regional Hospital’s chief nursing officer. “Virtual nursing is a care model that impacts safety, quality, patient experience, and it enhances communication.”

It will also eliminate what many nurses say can be a big challenge — finding another nurse to double-check high-risk medications or any other function that requires two nurses.

“I’ve been a nurse for over 25 years, so for me personally, it’s shocking we have the technology that we have,” Steele said. “I just remember when I was at the bedside and I was going into rooms, and I needed somebody to be that second set of eyes or help me with certain things, and boy, I could have sure used this technology.”

Simms said it will also likely expand the hospital’s potential employee pool, with virtual nursing not requiring as much physical work as bedside nursing.

“The virtual nursing model is a perfect model for a nurse who may not physically be able to keep up with the demands of bedside nursing, but isn’t ready to give it up,” Simms said. “So this might be an option for nurses who can’t take the physical demands or it takes a toll on their body.”

Simms said anything that helps with the recruitment and retention of nurses is a positive.

While there will be full-time virtual nurses, the hospital is using a largely hybrid system, with most of the nurses involved splitting duties between virtual and bedside.

Simms said that builds teamwork and familiarity.

“When you have a separate group of nurses you never work with in person, then there’s a lack of trust there,” she said. “You don’t know them, you don’t know that they have your back. So the hybrid is the model that we chose because that way they are part of a team, people know them, people work with them every day and they trust their work.”

Internal OH surveys show the virtual nursing system is having a big impact, with nurses saying it’s been a valuable addition and patients noticing improved care.

Simms said a recent survey showed a 6.2% increase in patients saying the care team and provider listened, a 6.9% increase in the clarity of explaining things and a 4.3% increase in a consistent message among caregivers.

Virtual nurses have completed over 600 of the tasks since going live.

Whitney Watson has been filling a hybrid nursing role and sees it as a game-changer.

“I’m hybrid; I worked as a bedside nurse, two shifts last weekend,” she said. “I can tell you that I really appreciated (the virtual nurse), because it was nice to know I had a nurse to delegate tasks to to help me on the unit. I’ve never really had that before at a hospital, and this is the fourth hospital I’ve worked at. I really believe in the program.”

Officials also noted the security and privacy the system offers. The camera is always off in the patient room unless the virtual nurse activates it for a medical need, and the patient will be notified of the incoming call before the virtual nurse appears on the screen and the camera is active, giving the patient notice it is about to be active. A blue light will illuminate around the camera when it’s in use.

“It’s unbelievably innovative, exciting, and I think it’s going to transform how we do nursing care for the future,” Steele said.

“There were so many people involved in this project. I’m incredibly proud of the team and the results that have come with this.

“You know it will continue progressing and getting better and better. I’m excited also for our community, our patients and their families. I feel our team members win with this, but our patients and families do too.”