NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Emergency rooms are becoming increasingly crowded, leading Sentara Health to implement a new tool designed to expedite patient care.
Before admitting new patients from the emergency room, nurses must first discharge those they have already seen.
“When we have more than one patient being discharged, two or three, it gets kind of hectic trying to get everyone out the door in a timely manner,” registered nurse Kierra Maddox said.
With one nurse typically managing care for four patients, the process can be time-consuming.
“Going over their medical history, medications, and primary care doctor takes a majority of the time, usually upwards of an hour,” Maddox said.
Enter the virtual nurse.
“They can go over the paperwork with them. If there’s anything that’s last minute that needs to be tied up, they can reach out to the doctor,” Maddox said.
To address this issue, Sentara introduced the Virtual Nursing System last November. A team of nurses operates from a hub in Virginia Beach, allowing on-site nurses more time for documentation and addressing other patient needs.
“We can also ask them if there’s anything they’d like to learn; we can show them videos. We can also educate them on medications they may have been on or new medications the doctor may have prescribed,” Virtual Nurse Wasaun Robinson said.
Instead of spending hours managing four patients individually, bedside nurses can now press a button to access four virtual nurses, which can reduce the time required for care by half or more.
“Anything that’s going to help free me up to do other things will always help our stress level,” Maddox said. “This hospital is very busy, and they love it. They’re like, ‘It’s fast and easy.'”
A less stressed nurse is also a happier nurse.
“And a happy nurse, everybody’s happy!”
These virtual nurses can facilitate video calls between patients and family members who are unable to visit the hospital. Currently, the system is in place at Norfolk General and Williamsburg Regional hospitals, with plans to roll it out to all 12 Sentara locations by October.
For more information on the virtual nursing system, visit Sentara’s website.