Emergency rooms are becoming increasingly crowded, leading Sentara Health to implement a new tool designed to expedite patient care.
Before admitting new patients from the emergency room, nurses must first discharge those they have already seen.
“When we have more than one patient being discharged, two or three, it gets kind of hectic trying to get everyone out the door in a timely manner,” registered nurse Kierra Maddox said.
With one nurse typically managing care for four patients, the process can be time-consuming.
“Going over their medical history, medications, and primary care doctor takes a majority of the time, usually upwards of an hour,” Maddox said.
Enter the virtual nurse.