Virtual Team Rounding: A Cross-Specialty Inpatient Care Staffing Program to Manage COVID-19 Surges

Area of Science:

• Healthcare innovation
• Inpatient medicine
• Telehealth

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic strained hospital resources, leading to challenges in inpatient care delivery.
• Existing healthcare systems faced difficulties managing patient surges and maintaining quality of care.
• The need for flexible and scalable staffing solutions became critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of an inpatient virtual staffing model, the Virtual Team Rounding Program (VTRP).
• To address challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on inpatient medical services.
• To evaluate the initial impact of virtual rounding on healthcare teams.

Main Methods:

• The Virtual Team Rounding Program (VTRP) was developed using rapid-cycle innovation and iterative feedback.
• Providers from various specialties were trained as "virtual rounders" to support inpatient teams via videoconference.
• The program was rapidly scaled, supporting up to 24 teams during its peak.

Main Results:

• 100% of pilot phase respondents found the VTRP beneficial without added burden.
• During the scaling phase, 62.6% of inpatient providers reported time savings with virtual rounders.
• Best practices were iteratively developed to address implementation challenges.

Conclusions:

• Virtual rounding serves as an effective extension of inpatient teams, particularly during surges like COVID-19.
• The VTRP demonstrated feasibility and initial positive reception among healthcare providers.
• Further research is planned to assess the program's impact on provider well-being and patient outcomes.