Implementing a Virtual Team Model in the Acute Care Setting.

Health care has forever changed in early 2021. Three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 world pandemic, we must seriously look at the role of the nurses and the model we deploy to ensure our health system's viability. In this article, the authors offer insights into the journey of deconstructing the nurses' role and planning for a Co-Caring Model where virtual and bedside nurses practice and unlicensed assisting personnel work as a team to care for those in need of health care. We also provide a list of actions for nurse leaders to consider. Finally, we aim to spark an international conversation on how we can bring back the joy of practice to ensure we create the best possible places to give and get care.

Patient experience and healthcare utilization for a COVID-19 telemedicine home monitoring program offered in English and Spanish.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine is a vital component of the healthcare system's response to COVID-19. In March of 2020, Providence health system rapidly implemented a telemedicine home monitoring program (HMP) for COVID-19 patients that included use of at-home pulse oximeters and thermometers and text-based surveys to monitor symptoms. By June 2020, Providence updated the HMP to be offered in Spanish. This program was implemented before COVID-19 testing was readily available and therefore was offered to all patients suspected of having COVID-19. This study examines engagement, experience, and utilization patterns for English and Spanish-speaking patients engaged in the COVID-19 HMP. METHODS: A retrospective review of program data was used to understand HMP patient engagement (responsiveness to three daily text to monitor symptoms), satisfaction with the program (likelihood to recommend the program) as well as comfort using home monitoring devices and comfort recovering from home. To understand impact on care for COVID-19 confirmed cases, we used electronic health records to measure patterns in healthcare use for COVID-19 positive HMP participants and non-HMP propensity weighted controls. All patients enrolled in the COVID-19 HMP from March-October 2020 were included in the study. Patients tested for COVID-19 during the time window and not enrolled in HMP were included in the propensity-weighted comparison group. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed overall and stratified by English and Spanish speakers. RESULTS: Of the 4,358 HMP participants, 75.5% identified as English speakers and 18.2% identified as Spanish speakers. There was high level of responsiveness to three daily text-based surveys monitoring symptoms engagement (>80%) and a high level of comfort using the home monitoring devices (thermometers and pulse oximeters) for English- and Spanish-speaking participants (97.3% and 99.6%, respectively). The majority of English (95.7%) and Spanish-speaking (100%) patients felt safe monitoring their condition from home and had high satisfaction with the HMP (76.5% and 83.6%, respectively). English and Spanish-speaking COVID-19 positive HMP participants had more outpatient and emergency departments (ED) encounters than non-participants 7 and 30 days after their positive test. CONCLUSION: This widely implemented HMP provided participants with a sense of safety and satisfaction and its use was associated with more outpatient care and ED encounters. These outcomes were comparable across English and Spanish-speakers, highlighting the importance and potential impact of language-concordant telemedicine.

The TeleStroke mimic (TM)-score: a prediction rule for identifying stroke mimics evaluated in a Telestroke Network.

BACKGROUND: Up to 30% of acute stroke evaluations are deemed stroke mimics (SM). As telestroke consultation expands across the world, increasing numbers of SM patients are likely being evaluated via Telestroke. We developed a model to prospectively identify ischemic SMs during Telestroke evaluation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed 829 consecutive patients from January 2004 to April 2013 in our internal New England-based Partners TeleStroke Network for a derivation cohort, and 332 cases for internal validation. External validation was performed on 226 cases from January 2008 to August 2012 in the Partners National TeleStroke Network. A predictive score was developed using stepwise logistic regression, and its performance was assessed using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. There were 23% SM in the derivation, 24% in the internal, and 22% in external validation cohorts based on final clinical diagnosis. Compared to those with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (iCVD), SM had lower mean age, fewer vascular risk factors, more frequent prior seizure, and a different profile of presenting symptoms. The TeleStroke Mimic Score (TM-Score) was based on factors independently associated with SM status including age, medical history (atrial fibrillation, hypertension, seizures), facial weakness, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >14. The TM-Score performed well on ROC curve analysis (derivation cohort AUC=0.75, internal validation AUC=0.71, external validation AUC=0.77). CONCLUSIONS: SMs differ substantially from their iCVD counterparts in their vascular risk profiles and other characteristics. Decision-support tools based on predictive models, such as our TM Score, may help clinicians consider alternate diagnosis and potentially detect SMs during complex, time-critical telestroke evaluations.