Virtual Wards
What are Virtual Wards?
A Virtual Ward is a safe and efficient alternative to bedded care that is enabled by technology. Virtual Wards support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive the acute care, monitoring, and treatment they need in their own home.
A Virtual Ward is not a mechanism intended for enhanced primary care programmes; chronic disease management; proactive deterioration prevention; or social care for medically fit patients for discharge. All of these may make use of telehealth and remote monitoring, but they are not Virtual Wards.
A virtual ward has recently opened in University Hospital Limerick. UHL and St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin are the pilot sites for the HSE Virtual Ward programme.
Who are Virtual Wards for?
Virtual Ward care may be offered to patients who:
- are admitted to hospital with certain conditions
- are deemed medically stable by their care team and
- still require ongoing monitoring and care prior to discharge.
Our staff will be working in two confirmed pathways for the pilot: Cardiology and Respiratory.
What happens on the Virtual Ward?
Patients who are deemed fit by their consultant to complete their care in a Virtual Ward will be provided with remote monitors and a small computer that can send information about the patient’s health back to a dedicated team of nurses and doctors in the hospital.
Patients who are transferred to the Virtual Ward will remain under the care of the consultant team that provided care in the hospital. A personalised care plan is agreed with each patient, family, or carers where appropriate, and healthcare teams including the consultant.
Patient care is reviewed 24 hours per day, by the medical and nursing teams for as long as the patient remains on the virtual ward. The Virtual Ward team will agree the best ways to contact patients – this could be by telephone or video call. They will also explain to patients and their family and/or carers what to do if the patient feels unwell.
Patients are enabled to manage their condition by participating in monitoring their health at home. The Virtual Ward team meets with patients and their family or carer and takes time to explain how their care will be managed.
The Virtual Ward team will:
- Explain how remote monitoring using technology will be used and tailored to the needs of the patient’s individual health condition.
- Teach patients and their family or carer how to use the devices that will be used to safely monitor the patient’s health at home.
What are the benefits for patients?
International research shows that being at home - where patients may be surrounded by friends, family, and pets – can improve their physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall recovery.
Availing of care at home, in the Virtual Ward is linked with:
- A lower risk of hospital-acquired infections and loss of muscle strength
- A lower cost of travel to and from the hospital for patients, family, and carers
- Being less likely to require another inpatient hospital stay in the near future
- Improved patient experience
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Enhanced recovery
The Virtual Ward is a new initiative in Ireland and the specific benefits and risks of the service in Ireland are not yet fully established. Patient experience is currently being used to help inform the future of the Virtual Ward service.
What are the benefits for staff?
The Virtual Ward Model also offers significant benefits to staff. High levels of staff satisfaction have been reported in pilot sites. The Virtual Ward model facilitates more one-to-one patient communication and care, presenting an opportunity for staff to expand their skillsets, particularly around virtual patient care.