Telenursing Cameras Add Support for the Bedside Nurse
Telenursing Pilot Project Achieves Notable Success
Telenursing, or the use of remote clinicians to interact with patients via in-room cameras, holds much potential for enhancing patient care, improving patient satisfaction and helping to focus bedside nursing on direct patient care.
New two-way audio/visual cameras from care.ai have been installed in patient rooms at Walter Tower 17 and 18 as part of a pilot that started earlier this month. Similar to Caregility on tablets, these cameras enable remote nurses to see and talk directly with patients. The cameras are integrated with the television in each patient’s room. As we work to optimize the experience for both the nurses and patients, there may be times where Caregility tablets will be used on these pilot units as well.
Available strictly on-demand ─ through the push of a button and at the request of a bedside clinican or patient ─ the cameras are not currently intended for constant patient monitoring, though future use for virtual telesitting is being considered. Patients can contact the telenurse with a question or concern, and the bedside nurse can activate the telenurse to help discharge the patient faster.
Among the responsibilities of telenurses are patient intake, medication reconciliation and other admission, discharge and transfter (ADT) patient workflows.
