UH Lake West implements hospital-wide virtual nursing program

CLEVELAND, Ohio — University Hospitals Lake West is one of the first hospitals in the nation to have virtual nursing throughout the facility using Zoom-style video-call technology, UH recently announced.

While stationed in an administrative building miles away, a virtual nurse can ask the patient for health information, fill out admission forms and give updates on when procedures will take place.

UH Lake West has all 146 patient rooms equipped with virtual nursing technology. This includes the emergency department, intensive care unit, step down unit, and medical and surgical floors, the health system said.

Bedside nurses are still working throughout the hospital, and no nursing jobs have been cut, UH said. Virtual nurses can relay patient requests to the nurses on the floor, or answer