Virtual Nursing Care Not Yet Universal, Survey Shows

• Virtual nursing care has been at the forefront of healthcare conversations for several years but still has not been fully adopted by the industry. 
• An acute virtual care provider released a market research survey in early December that found 10% of hospital leaders and 14% of hospital IT leaders established inpatient virtual care as a standard practice. 
• Facilities and health systems with virtual nursing programs in place have largely seen positive results. 

Virtual nursing care has been at the forefront of healthcare conversations for several years but still has not been fully adopted by the industry.

AvaSure, an acute virtual care provider, released a market research survey in early December that found “only 10% of hospital leaders and 14% of hospital IT leaders” have implemented inpatient virtual care as a “standard part of care delivery,” a news release stated. 

“Virtual care is becoming essential to delivering high-quality, accessible patient care that reduces the burden on bedside staff,” Claire Zangerle, DNP, R.N., CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) at the American Hospital Association, stated in the release. “However, achieving true impact requires more than just adopting the technology — it demands setting clear goals and taking deliberate steps to mature these programs.” 

Of the hospital and health systems that have tested or implemented full-fledged virtual programs, many have reported positive results or feedback.

Virtual Nursing Care in 2024

The study also found that, in 2024, “only 46% of hospital leaders [piloted] or have implemented virtual care for inpatient acute care.” 

Despite the slow adoption, a majority of hospital leaders who responded to the AvaSure survey “believe inpatient virtual care is, or will become, integral to care delivery models in acute inpatient care.” 

The same leaders viewed virtual sitting, patient discharge, and admission documentation support as the most likely uses for virtual care and cited the following as metrics that can determine the success of virtual programs: 

• Patient safety  
• Patient experience  
• Workload burden for current staff  
• Patient outcomes  
• Throughput or patient flow  
• Nurse retention  
• Workforce costs  
• Nurse safety 

Lee Health, in Florida, announced in October that it would expand its existing virtual nursing program. Doing so will result in “equipping nearly 1,000 patient rooms with bedside telehealth technology,” across the health system. The expansion, according to Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Higgins, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, is part of the system’s “broader strategy to modernize healthcare delivery.” 

“Our virtual nursing program introduces innovative possibilities in patient care workflows by connecting the care in the complex patient journey,” she stated in a news release. “From admissions and discharges to continuous patient monitoring, patients benefit from an additional team member dedicated to their care. We anticipate this additionally offering our nurses time for patients that need more hands-on care.” 

Wendy Deibert, Chief Nursing Officer at Caregility, the telehealth company Lee Health works with, said in a news release that having “eyes and ears in every room” allows nurses to better respond to patient needs.

What’s Next for Virtual Nursing Care?

A 2023 feature in the American Journal of Nursing looked at how the effects of adding of a virtual nurse role to supplement bedside nurses. The authors found that RNs “valued the consistent availability of having the [virtual RN’s] expert nursing knowledge and virtual assistance with nursing tasks.”

Similarly, a Journal of Nursing Care Quality article from the same year determined that from a discharge perspective, the use of virtual nurses significantly improved patient-satisfaction scores.

In mid-December, the American Telemedicine Association launched its Center of Digital Excellence (CODE), which will bring together hospital and health systems to share insights and strategies that will help others incorporate digital care into their facilities.

“Telehealth is not an either/or solution but a critical addition to in-person care, addressing gaps where traditional access is limited or unavailable,” ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson stated in the release. “With these renowned health systems, we are setting the standard for how innovation and technology can enhance, extend, and equalize access to high-quality healthcare for all.” 

The Bottom Line

A market research survey found that while there has been progress in the implementation of virtual nursing across hospital systems in the United States, it has not been as fast as some hoped. However, those that have virtual nursing programs have reported improvements and positive results from both patients and nurses. 

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