What You Should Know:
– University Hospitals (UH) has launched its Connected Care Team initiative at UH Lake West, making it one of the first hospitals in the U.S. to implement a whole-hospital virtual nursing program.
– The initiative uses Vitalchat’s AI-driven audio and video platform to extend the reach of nurses through secure, high-definition communication. This expansion follows a successful initial phase that demonstrated significant benefits for patients, caregivers, and overall health system efficiency.
Whole-Hospital Virtual Nursing Program
The virtual nursing program allows a remote team to support their bedside colleagues with a range of tasks, including admissions, discharges, patient education, monitoring, and urgent interventions. This collaborative approach optimizes nurse capacity, enabling bedside nurses to spend more time on hands-on care and building personal connections with patients.
In its initial phase, which spanned six units and five hospitals, the program yielded several positive outcomes:
- Higher patient experience and caregiver engagement scores compared to similar units.
- More efficient support for critical workflows like admissions, discharges, and falls prevention.
- The program was also part of three clinical studies, including an FDA-supported trial using AI to detect fall risks.
A Cultural Shift and Future Expansion
The success of the initial phase gave UH the confidence to expand the program to an entire hospital. According to Brian Nelson, Program Lead for the Veale Healthcare Transformation Institute at UH, the initiative is about supporting every patient in every room and easing the burden on caregivers. Michelle D. Hereford, UH Chief Nursing Executive, highlighted the positive cultural shift, noting that the initiative has ignited energy and excitement among care team members.
Looking ahead, UH plans to continue expanding the program. This includes piloting 24/7 operations, adding virtual patient observation, and broadening the use cases to include the emergency department and operating room. The initiative represents a significant step in reimagining how nurses deliver care to simultaneously ease workforce strain, improve safety, and elevate the patient experience.
