PATIENTS at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) are being sent home in their hundreds with a new kind of tablet, that allows them to be looked after in the comfort of their own beds.
The new Virtual Ward at UHL, which uses technology to provide patient care at home, has saved more than 2,000 inpatient bed days since its introduction last summer.
Patients referred from the hospital’s emergency department, acute medical assessment unit, and medical wards receive a full technology kit, including a digital tablet and medical diagnostic equipment, a HSE spokesperson said.
At home, this equipment links the patient with a central hub in UHL, allowing for 24/7 monitoring. According to the HSE, the average length of stay on the UHL Virtual Ward is 6.6 days.
A total of 325 patients have been cared for at the Virtual Ward since July 1, using technology to link them with UHL for monitoring two to three times daily – and in the process freeing up 2,053 bed-days for hospital treatment of more acutely ill inpatients.
“For us, the Virtual Ward is about more than diverting patients away from the hospital — ultimately it’s about ensuring high quality care in your home, enabled by technology. This new model of care empowers our patients through increased knowledge about their health and self-management of their conditions,” said Nurse and Midwifery Informatics Officer Patricia O’Gorman, who led the implementation of the UHL Virtual Ward.
Acute virtual wards have been pioneered in Ireland by UHL and St Vincent’s Hospital initially for patients with for cardiology and respiratory conditions.
The initial success at UHL has driven expansion of the referral pathways to include patients in general medicine including flu/Covid-19, minor stroke, rehab, asthma, supplementary oxygen, and a respiratory pathway for St John’s Hospital.
Discussions are ongoing to build pathways in orthopaedic post-operative knee and hip treatment (with Croom Orthopaedic Hospital), gynaecology, and colorectal.
The Virtual Ward was implemented in collaboration with HSE National Strategic Programmes and eHealth offices, and in partnership with European virtual ward specialists Doccla.
