Hybrid Nursing Model Expands Following Successful Pilot

Following a successful pilot at Covenant Medical Center, Providence will expand a hybrid nursing model, Co-Caring, to ten additional units in its hospitals throughout its seven-state service area.

Co-Caring is a hybrid nursing model that aims to provide patients with high-quality care while improving satisfaction and retention among caregivers. Piloted in 2021 at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, which is a part of Providence, this program uses technology that includes a virtual nurse assisting the bedside team. This occurs through a bi-directional audio and video platform.

Processes related to admissions, discharge preparation, the creation of checklists prior to a procedure, and more, are all addressed via the virtual nurse.

A hybrid, collaborative team reduces the burden of the numerous requirements facing nurses and support teams, according to the press release.

“The past three years dramatically transformed our industry and workforce in ways that accelerated the modernization of care,” said Providence Chief Nursing Officer Syl Trepanier in the press release. “Co-Caring represents an innovative solution to one of health care’s most pressing issues – the increased need for nurses, which for the United States is currently estimated at more than 200,000 new nurses required each year to account for population growth.”

After the success of the pilot program at Covenant Medical Center, Providence is growing its application. This will consist of adding the program to ten units, all of which are in the Providence seven-state service area.

“This pilot is not about one unit in one hospital,” said Julie Wright, nursing manager at Covenant Health, in the press release. “It is about taking the first steps to changing how we care for our patients. We are working on creating an environment where burnout is the exception and not the rule, and where joy is the expectation.”

Thus far, Co-Caring has also had a positive financial and operational impact on the organization, the press release noted. First-year turnover rates at Covenant Medical Center dropped by 73 percent for registered nurses and 55 percent for all staff. Meanwhile, the system has hired fewer travel nurses, hiring from local job markets instead.

Prior efforts have indicated intentions to improve the lives of patients and providers through virtual nursing.

In February, Mary Washington Healthcare worked with Caregility to add a virtual nursing program, mainly intending to improve patient safety. Through this collaboration, the health system will leverage the Inpatient Virtual Engagement (IVE) solution from Caregility to support the program.

The program includes the use of video-enabled technology among clinicians to assist patients who did not need hands-on care. Telehealth, observation and consultation, and device fleet management capabilities are all features of the IVE solution.

Also, in April, CHI Saint Joseph Health announced its plans to use technology from CommonSpirit Health to implement a virtual nursing model. Through this model, the organization added a virtual registered nurse to in-home care teams with the intention of improving care quality and reducing staffing challenges.

The model gives patients access to virtual RNs remotely, who assist with charting, education, assessments, and discharges. This resource does not fully substitute bedside nurses but would give the bedside team more time for pressing cases.