A new digital initiative has been launched by the Health Service Executive (HSE) enabling certain patients to undergo hospital treatment from their own homes. Initially, this virtual ward programme will cater to cardiology and respiratory patients from St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) and University Hospital Limerick (UHL) who are medically stable, but still need continuous monitoring and care.
As hospitals are often overwhelmed, with demand often surpassing their ability to accommodate patients, this innovation is aimed to alleviate some of that stress on hospital resources. UHL, notably the most congested hospital in the state, could greatly benefit from the reduction in demand for physical hospital beds.
The viability for home treatment will be assessed by the medical team in collaboration with the patients and their caregivers. Necessary equipment along with usage instructions will be provided. The patient will continue being overseen by the consultant team even after becoming part of the virtual ward service, with a custom care plan devised for every individual.
Patients’ health will be observed round-the-clock while at home. Should there deterioration in the patients’ health or they don’t respond as anticipated to the treatment, alerts will be set off by the monitoring technology. Patients will be discharged from the virtual ward once their course of care is completed.
The HSE believes the system presents a safe and effective substitute to hospital admissions, catering to patients who opt for specialised hospital treatment, observation and care at home. The service is scheduled to kick off in both hospitals later this month.
The HSE’s Chief Clinical Information Officer, Prof Richard Greene, highlighted that the program will empower patients to take an active role in their health management. Furthermore, Maureen Gilbert, a patient representative of the Virtual Ward Steering Group, underlined that home recovery has shown to reduce stress and anxiety in patients, and also lower the risk of hospital-associated infections and muscle strength loss.
The introduction of virtual wards symbolises a fresh and thrilling stage in the digitisation of our healthcare service, according to Deirdre McNamara, the HSE’s Head of Strategic Programmes. She stated that such initiatives contribute to the provision of healthcare in an appropriate location and at an opportune time. The plan is set to kick off later this month and will gradually escalate, thereby enhancing in-hospital bed capacity and gradually easing the strain on the healthcare system.
This venture comes on the heels of the Government’s recent release of the Digital Health Framework. This framework includes proposals for a nationwide electronic healthcare record (EHR) system and a dedicated patient application.