In spring 2025, virtual nursing—a new model for care delivery—will be piloted in several units at four Johns Hopkins hospitals. Virtual nursing is an innovative care model that uses two-way audio and video communications to enhance patient care in the hospital and provide support to nurses at the bedside.
With virtual nursing, patients will have an additional, experienced nurse helping to deliver clinical care from a remote location through a secure, two-way, audio/video device installed in the patient’s room. The device includes cameras, a speaker, and a TV monitor, through which the virtual nurse, patient, and care team can communicate (the device does not have recording capabilities, to protect patient privacy).
The virtual nurse will engage in real-time patient support for care that does not require physical examinations or tests, giving bedside nurses more time for hands-on clinical care and improving the patient experience. Initially, the pilot will include virtual nurse support for admissions, discharges, and patient education, with the hope to expand the scope to eventually include quality/regulatory monitoring, mentoring support, dual medication signoff, and more.
Virtual nursing will go live in the identified pilot units at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and Suburban Hospital between March and April.
