Virtual Nurses: A New Way to Care in Hospitals

Virtual nurses are becoming a big deal in hospitals. These are experienced nurses who use technology to help patients from a distance. They are part of a plan to deal with not having enough nurses and to stop nurses from feeling overwhelmed. A recent study looked at how well this idea worked in a 40-bed medical and surgical unit. The study used a method called implementation science. This means they checked if the virtual nursing model was accepted, used correctly, and made sense for the team. They did this by watching how things worked, talking to the virtual nurses, and surveying the staff who work directly with patients. They also did some number crunching to back up their findings. Virtual nurses did a lot of different tasks. They helped with admissions and discharges, taught patients about their care, kept an eye on patients from afar, and even guided the other nurses. The virtual nurses said they were happy with their jobs because they got to interact with patients more and help their colleagues. The nurses who worked directly with patients said the virtual nurses were a big help. They said it gave them more time to focus on taking care of patients. The study showed that having virtual nurses on the team made the workflow better. It also gave experienced nurses a meaningful role and supported the other nurses in their jobs. The study also talked about how to make sure all nurses get the same training. It also mentioned the challenges of making the teamwork smooth and the workflow efficient. It is important to think about these things when trying to make virtual nursing a standard part of hospital care. This way, hospitals can make the most of this new approach. The idea of virtual nursing is not just about fixing a problem. It is about changing how nursing care is done. It is about using technology to make care better and more efficient. It is about giving nurses new roles and supporting them in their jobs. It is about making sure that patients get the best care possible.