Virtual Nursing Pilot in the Inpatient Setting: Qualitative Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Global nursing shortages necessitate innovative care delivery models.
• Virtual nursing emerges as a cutting-edge solution to explore.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine staff perspectives on a virtual nursing pilot program.
• Identify best practices for virtual nursing adoption in medical-surgical units.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative evaluation using semistructured interviews with 16 clinical and administrative staff.
• Thematic analysis of interview transcripts from a virtual nursing pilot at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Main Results:

• Staff attitudes shifted from resistance to acceptance of virtual nursing.
• Effective communication and adaptable staffing were crucial for model adoption.
• Virtual nursing was perceived to reduce administrative burden and overtime for bedside nurses.

Conclusions:

• Virtual nursing can help alleviate healthcare staffing challenges.
• Improvements needed in real-time communication, training, and staffing flexibility.
• Further mixed-methods studies are required to determine the full ROI of virtual nursing programs.