The telehealth boom has forced the healthcare industry to reevaluate their digital strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic transitioned non-essential visits to video and changed the way that patients and providers interact. In fact, 46% of U.S. consumers used telehealth in April of this year, compared to only 11% in 2019 (Bestsennyy et. al). But as telehealth is finally ushered in as a mainstream option, we should consider how we apply digital solutions for their best efficacy. Digital solutions inside the hospital are the future of care. Inpatient virtual care focuses on technology placed at the bedside to protect staff, empower patients, and improve outcomes.
Next steps for building your strategy
A genuinely successful inpatient virtual care plan lessens burnout for clinicians while promoting happier and healthier patients. Technology should never be a burden to learn or use. Its presence should always be a relief and an enhancement to the inpatient experience.
Your strategy should start by evaluating your existing digital resources and how to best utilize them to meet provider and patient needs. From there, consider whether they are reliable and scalable. Think about implementing small changes and expanding your strategy in phases.
Use the following checklists when getting started:
Key components of virtual care:
- Virtual rounding and consults
- Digital visitation with friends and family
- Access to qualified medical interpreters
- Education and entertainment options
Key requirements of virtual care:
- Interoperable
- Reliable
- Reduces work
- Scalable
- User friendly
- Accessible
The technology already exists in the market. It simply needs to be implemented in a collaborative way that meets your organization’s needs. Make sure that the technologies you employ work together and support your plans for scalability. The future, after all, is now.
Learn more
Ready to learn more about inpatient virtual care? Download our helpful infographic that introduces the challenges inpatient virtual care overcomes, the future trajectory of telehealth, and how to measure the success of your new scalable digital strategy.
This infographic and material was developed in partnership with Caregility and Oneview Healthcare. Infographic_Inpatient Virtual Care_Cloudbreak-Caregility-Oneview
References
McKinsey & Company s COVID-19 consumer survey conducted April, 2020
