The Rise of Virtual Care

By Gail M. Vozzella, SVP and Chief Nurse Executive, Houston Methodist

Virtual nursing is a forward-thinking approach where nurses work remotely from the point of care (POC), partnering with bedside teams to handle various tasks. It leverages advanced technologies to enhance patient care and streamline nursing workflows. Virtual nurses provide continuous support and supervision without being physically present at the bedside using video conferencing, electronic health records (EHRs) and remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices. Virtual nursing can include hourly patient check-ins, verifying medications or analyzing trends in patient data to spot any signs of deterioration quickly. By utilizing it, many organizations also aim to…