Development of a Virtual Visit Nurse Competency Checklist for Inpatient Rehabilitation

The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program and competency tool for virtual care facilitation in the inpatient rehabilitation setting using the professional rehabilitation nursing updated competency model as a theoretical framework.

The setting for this pilot was a 123-bed subacute inpatient rehabilitation facility; nurses employed at the facility ( N = 61) were invited to participate in the project. Educational sessions were developed and delivered to introduce the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Updated Competency Model, along with a competency tool and checklist. Measures included a presurvey with demographic data and the Riggs Personal Efficacy Beliefs subscale. The postsurvey was administered after 6 weeks of using the competency tool and checklist.

The checklist was used in 17 out of the 33 total virtual visits. Pre and post self-efficacy scores were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test to assess for differences in self-efficacy mean scores. The results of the Mann-Whitney test showed an increase of 7.50 points (or 24%) in the scores.

Nursing competencies for virtual visit facilitation in the inpatient rehabilitation setting are needed to optimize care. A consistent approach to high-quality virtual care has the potential to improve patient outcomes and positively impact nurse confidence and self-efficacy.