St. Luke’s Health-Sugar Land Hospital expands virtual nursing program

Virtual nurses do more hands-off care such as administrative tasks while bedside nurses will deliver more hands-on care, said Laura Barker, who serves as CommonSpirit Health’s system director for virtually integrated care.

The program started on the fifth floor of the hospital with 32 medical-surgical unit patient rooms and has expanded to 64 rooms now also located on the fourth floor.

Each room has an “all-in-one device” that acts as a television screen, speaker and camera to allow for a virtual nurse to electronically be there for patients and their families, Barker said.

“This isn't just new technology, this is really a fundamental shift in the way we deliver care,” Barker said. “We are redesigning our care models, we're introducing innovation and technology to the bedside. We're unburdening that bedside staff and really shifting the quality of care that we provide our patients.”

What they’re saying

The streamlined care allows virtual nurses to be there for patients beyond their initial hospital visit, said Corey Ross, who serves as the supervisor for the south region of virtually integrated care and one of St. Luke's virtual nurse supervisors.

Ross said hospital staff provide patients with a phone number where they can call a virtual nurse 24/7 after they are discharged.

“The virtual nurse program really aims to not only impact the patient, their families, but also the facility, quality and metric goals,” Ross said. “So, not only are we focused on getting that patient when it comes time for discharge, getting a patient educated on new medications, making sure we coordinate their follow up appointments and get that information taken care of for them.”

On the horizon

The hospital’s goal is to eventually implement the VIC program to the emergency room so care can occur before patients are placed in one of the medical-surgical unit patient rooms, Ross said.