The rise of virtual nursing: How digital care innovations can address nursing shortages and improve the care experience

Nurses across the nation are feeling the post-COVID strain of smaller care teams, larger patient caseloads and cumbersome administrative workflows taking them away from bedside care, resulting in burnout and increased vacancies. The national vacancy rate for nurses in 2022 was 17%, with over 81% of hospitals reporting vacancy rates over 10%.4 In an age where many other industries offer more flexibility, remote opportunities, and better pay for less stress-inducing work, retaining quality nurses is increasingly challenging. Like most industries, healthcare has seen an increase in the adoption of digital technologies over the last decade, and these solutions can be used to mitigate the strain felt by nursing shortages. Digital solutions such as automated care programs and virtual visits and check-ins can not only address nursing shortages, but improve the care experience for both clinicians and patients.

4 https://nsinursingsolutions.com/documents/library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf