What Is It?
Virtual nursing care improves your experience, care and privacy during a hospital stay. This service gives you on-demand, open communication with a St. Bernards registered nurse (RN) without that nurse entering your room. Our virtual nurses use special, two-way audio and video technology that lets them check on patients, giving patients and their caregivers unparalleled privacy within a hospital setting. We equipped certain patient rooms within St. Bernards Medical Center for virtual care. If you have a virtual nurse, your overall nursing team includes bedside nurses who enter and leave your room as well as your nurse, a St. Bernards RN located within our hospital itself.
How Does It Work?
When your virtual nurse attempts to contact you, the camera above the television lights up, and the TV displays that your virtual nurse has called. Once the call connects, your virtual nurse asks permission to use a camera within the room. To maintain your privacy, these camera only stay on when you talk to your nurse, and they never record video or audio on either end. You communicate with your virtual nurse through the bedside pillow speaker, which you also use to control the TV. You may see our cameras moving as we pan and focus on you or the equipment in your room. As an added benefit, we can merge family members into care conversations as necessary, even if those family members are not in your room. Feel free to ask us about this capability, which can improve your communication with loved ones during a hospital stay. Your virtual nurse will end the call after helping you, and your TV will return to its normal function. You may also contact your virtual nurse by pressing your call light button, asking to speak with the virtual nurse. We have a virtual nurse on site Monday through Friday, 7am to 11pm.
What Virtual Nursing Does:
- Improves your experience through on-demand care and open communication.
- Maintains your privacy and the privacy of your caregivers.
- Grows your overall nursing team.
- Requires an on-site registered nurse (RN) employed by St. Bernards.
- Uses special audio and video technology for seamless communication.
- Zoom capabilities to read tiny print
- Night vision to be less disruptive
- Begins each call with the camera pointing away from you.
- Connects family members not in your room on care calls if desired.
What Virtual Nursing Does NOT Do:
- Take away your in-person, bedside care.
- Record audio or video.
- Create additional expense to you as a patient.
