OSF HealthCare

History

2023: Implementing telemedsesters in everyday processes

On October 24, 2023, the non-profit health organization OSF HealthCare, which manages the hospital system and other health facilities, announced the introduction of virtual nurses into everyday workflows. The project is designed to partially solve the problem of an acute shortage of medical personnel, as well as reduce the burden on clinic staff.

Virtual workers, in particular, appeared Medical in the center of St. Francis. Such telemedicine nurses deal with issues related to the registration and discharge of patients. In the future, it is planned to expand the scope of their duties. The application of modern telemedicine technologies provides an opportunity to reduce waiting times for hospital visitors, as well as speed up routine tasks.

OSF HealthCare Reported Virtual Nursing Implementation in Day-to-Day Workflows

Two approaches to organizing the work of telemedicine nurses are being tested. In one version, communication with patients takes place through a monitor installed in the ward. In this case, data is exchanged via a wired connection. The second model is the use of a tablet with a wireless connection to a computer network.

Telemedicine nurses work from the premises of the OSF OnCall digital clinic, but in the future this may change due to a large shortage of medical staff. The management of the clinic notes that in order to keep such employees, they will need to be allowed to work from home. In addition, additional options for remote support are being considered. Telemedicine nurses will be able to make "rounds," instruct patients about treatment, etc. Over the four-month testing period of the new approach, virtual nurses processed 93.4% of hospitalizations and 87.7% of discharges at St. Francis Medical Center. Such employees will appear in other OSF HealthCare hospitals.^[1]

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