In an effort to find creative ways to tackle talent shortages in the health care field, Trinity Health leaders are preparing to roll out virtual nursing capabilities at its hospitals across Michigan in which patients would be interacting with on-screen nurses.
The new virtual care model, which is called the Virtual Connected Care Program, was initially piloted in January 2022 at Trinity Health Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, the Grand Rapids Business Journal reports.
According to Doug Dascenzo, regional chief nursing officer, Trinity Health Michigan, the program went through another iteration in June 2022, and by September, Trinity was “confident that the model was replicable.”
“We were striving to find a way to care for our patients safely and provide high quality care in the face of a staffing crisis, particularly registered nurses,” Dascenzo said. “Our charge was to find a way to decrease the demand for registered nursing services, while still delivering the care that patients required.
With this new model, instead of waiting for a nurse or caregiver to return to the patient’s room to answer questions, provide support, or check patients out, virtual nurses are able to provide on-demand aid as needed, without a wait.
Despite being on-screen rather than physically present with the patient, Dascenzo said there are “very few limitations” on what virtual nurses can do for patients. Read more.
