MUSKEGON, Mich. — Trinity Health Muskegon launched a virtual nurse program in January in response to the nationwide nurse shortage.
Currently, the program, called TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care, is up and running on its 9th and 10th floors of surgical units.
"Some of our patients were concerned that they were artificial intelligence," said Kelli Bylsma, clinical services director. "They're not, I can assure you. They're real people that are actually in our building as well. They're just not on that unit."
The team of nurses, nine in total at the launch, work in another part of the hospital. They virtually join patients in their rooms via a camera and computer.
The virtual nurses help with information-based care. For example, they may answer patient questions, give instructions, discharge, update medical records, clarify doctors' orders, or contact family members.
There is also a camera in the room able to give a detailed view of the patient. 13 ON YOUR SIDE saw the virtual nurse was able to check the patient's IV was correctly placed and checked his pupils.
The idea behind virtual nurses is to free up bedside nurses some of the duties so they can visit more patients.
"Virtual nurses are our eyes and ears, essentially, when the nurse, the other bedside nurse, might be busy with other tasks," said Bylsma. "We knew it would help our shortages, would help our staff and would ultimately really benefit our patients."
The interactions between the virtual nurses are not recorded for privacy.
The virtual nurse completes a three-person care team. That includes the virtual nurse, a bedside nurse and a nursing assistant or LPN. Often, the virtual nurses are more experienced and can pass on knowledge to the newer nurses.
"We're also going to be on the cutting edge in Western Michigan here with having virtual nurse," said Bylsma.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.