Lovelace Medical Center (LMC) is one of only a handful of hospitals across the country conducting virtual inpatient rounding.
Equipped with a headset instead of a stethoscope, John Donga, RN, sees patients in the Emergency Department – appearing on a mounted screen in the patient’s room. It’s part of a new partnership with Care.ai that uses smart technology to address workload pressures faced by nurses and other frontline caregivers.
“I think it is good we’re doing this and I really feel that we can make an impact,” shares John, recalling a recent encounter where he was able to calm an upset patient experiencing stroke symptoms during rounds.
Though John was not at the bedside, he helped the patient understand why she couldn’t have her morning coffee before passing a swallow test due to the risk of aspiration. While John had a 15-minute conversation calming the patient, nursing staff cared for other patients, delivered medication and reviewed provider's orders – keeping the busy ED running.
With the success of the pilot, plans are underway to expand the virtual nursing program at LMC and, ultimately, bring it to other Ardent hospitals. Care.ai also offers artificial intelligence-powered technology to help prevent patient falls, pressure injuries or other harm.
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