Study shows virtual nursing has a perception problem

Editor's Note

A study from Panda Health, a digital health company, found that virtual nursing has the lowest adoption rate among digital hospital tools and is perceived as having exaggerated value by hospital leaders, according Becker's Health IT December 13.

The survey of 100 hospital leaders found that just 13% had used virtual nursing technology more than a third felt that the value of virtual nursing had been overstated. However, 31% of hospital leaders said they intended to adopt virtual nursing by the end of 2024. 

Additionally, those who have implemented virtual nursing reported positive outcomes, including significant boosts in both patient and nurse satisfaction rates. For example, Advocate Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported that after implementing virtual nursing, their health system saw a 60% decrease in RN turnover rate and 46% reduction in RN vacancies, prompting them to expand access to virtual nursing to 12 hospitals. 

The improvements come at a crucial time—McKinsey found that 31% of frontline nurses surveyed said they were likely to leave their current roles. Once perceptions change and virtual nursing is more widely adopted, it may prove to be an important tool to help offset nurse burnout and turnover.