Nurses have been able to persevere through the nursing shortage, with the assistance of innovative healthcare technology like Collette Health remote observation.
The story of healthcare staffing shortages is nothing new. What began in the 1930s, due to multiple technology, economic, and health care-related events, is something that seems to be a never-ending tale. (Source: Penn Nursing) The demand for nurses has simply grown so high that the United States is having a difficult time keeping up. Add this to a global pandemic, and current staffing shortages are no surprise—though it is a huge concern. Nurses and the challenges they face continue to be at the forefront of the national conversation. According to a report from Incredible Health, over a third (34%) of the nurses surveyed reported that it is very likely that they will quit their job by the end of 2022. 44% cited burnout and a high-stress environment as the reason for their desire to leave. (Source: Incredible Health)
Despite seemingly overwhelming challenges, medical staff has been able to persevere. This is largely due to innovative healthcare technology that can help one provider to do more with less. One such piece of digital tech that has been taking the medical staffing world by storm is virtual patient observation. With Collette Health virtual patient observation, one patient observer (or patient sitter) can watch up to ten patients at once. Let’s see how exactly this new technology can benefit nurses.
Keep Patients Safer
The best way to reduce inpatient falls is to stop patient falls before they happen with a remote observation system like Collette Health. With remote observation, patient observers are trained to help prevent adverse events. With an observer, a patient is never truly alone. If they enter a dangerous situation, an observer is there to re-direct them or alert onsite medical staff.
But it doesn’t stop there. Collette Health observers can actually stop adverse events across the board. We stop patients from wandering, alerting someone when a patient is anxious or becoming aggressive, stop confused patients from taking unauthorized prescriptions, alert someone about a device malfunction, and more. Our observers are a true part of the care team. Patients are attended to more quickly and efficiently, and outcomes are improved. To read real life examples of prevented medical errors, read our white paper here.
Keep Staff Safe
Collette Health can also be used as a virtual witness for staff that are performing diagnostic exams independently—especially when those exams or procedures may compromise patient dignity. Think of different instances where a patient makes accusations against a health care worker. Until the health care worker is proven innocent or guilty, there’s time off work, an investigation, loss of wages, and so much more. Or what about an aggressive patient that puts the nursing staff at risk for injury, themselves? How nice would it be to know that, as a clinician, you have that extra set of eyes to back up what you’re doing?
Collette Health also limits staff exposure. With Collette Health, a remote patient observer can keep watch over a COVID-19 patient 24×7 without having to physically be in the room with them. Patient wants and needs will be known ahead of time, resulting in a consolidated number of trips in and out of the patient’s room by nursing staff, eliminating the need for excessive gowning or risk of exposure. It is a win-win.
Assist Overburdened Nurses
Patient observation programs are often managed by nursing departments. While the sitters are not likely to be registered nurses themselves, common qualifications include CNA, AHA Certification, Certified Patient Care Technician, and LPN. (Source: Indeed) A remote observation solution can turn one patient observer into ten. One observer at a command station can effectively monitor multiple patients at once, thus extending staff resources without sacrificing patient safety. Overall, this system supports nurses by saving them time and effort.
If you are interested in installing Collette Health, please visit our Contact Us page now.