An Iowa health system has experienced the highs and lows of virtual nursing since launching the technology amid the pandemic.
Here are six things to know, according to a Nov. 13 KCCI story:
1. Patients told the news outlet they love the care model at Des Moines-based MercyOne. "It just seems unbelievable. … It's amazing to me," said patient Lerene Clinton.
2. The virtual nurses provide an "extra set of eyes" and can help fill gaps in a time of nursing shortages, according to the story. They help with charting and make calls to physicians. Virtual nurses include nurses who want to stay in the career longer in a less physically demanding fashion.
3. Sometimes, virtual nurses aren't available, one bedside nurse told the news outlet. "They need to be engaging. They need to be able to feel comfortable interacting with the patient because, you know, it's very hard to be remote and develop that relationship," said Kelly Barker, DNP, RN, the director of virtual nursing.
4. Some patients don't want the virtual experience, either because they feel it's an invasion of privacy or don't feel they are "real" nurses, one virtual nurse told the TV station.
5. There are also "myths to bust," according to the article. The virtual nurses are not located overseas and don't take the place of bedside nurses.
6. MercyOne leaders said they believe the program will grow, possibly into the emergency department. But it's costly.