CNIOs exploring virtual nursing benefits

Virtual nursing is now an established practice among leading US hospitals as part of their strategic approach to resolve nursing workforce pressures whilst improving patient and nursing experience, clinical outcomes and operational efficiencies and saving hospital costs. Is this a practice we should adopt here in the UK?

Following the #FutureNurse mantra of ensuring digital transformation of nursing practice is nurse led we convened a group of leading CNIOs in the UK who are meeting regularly to explore the potential for applying virtual nursing in NHS hospitals. Last week we hosted US nursing executive leaders Patricia Mook and Laura Rashleger MSN, RN, NE-BC from Advocate Health who shared lessons from their virtual nursing innovations and the benefits they are reporting for their patients and nurses over the past couple of years. Importantly, they report a positive financial business case for virtual nursing which, for the UK, can translate into significant reductions in agency nurse costs for NHS Trusts.?

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Advocate Health reports an increase in patient experience rating from 14% to 80%, a 56% reduction in nursing call bell volumes and a 46% reduction in nurse vacancy rates. (Other US sites using virtual nursing have reported a 5% reduction in Sepsis rates, an 11% reduction in falls, a 75% reduction in CAUTI rates and a reduction of 84-20 minutes per discharge process.)

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Many thanks to Patricia and Laura for a very inspirational and motivating session and their insights on virtual nursing, particularly in the areas of how virtual nurses support bedside nurses and enhance personal care to patients and their families/carers.?

The next step is for this CNIO advisory group is to design an approach to virtual nursing in the UK drawing upon experiences from overseas nursing colleagues and ensuring synergies to virtual ward and other digital health virtualisation initiatives.