Use cases for video visits between patients and loved ones
| Tertiary hospital | County hospital | VA | |
| No of patients connected in 6 weeks* | 156 | 255 | 45 |
| Common use cases |
For hospitalised patients to connect directly with families
For medical updates and decision-making For end-of-life care For caregiver teaching For orienting delirious patients | For example, patient with respiratory failure talked to children prior to intubation For example, physician interfaced with multiple family members, consulting teams, and patient at bedside to discuss goals For example, multiple family members virtually present during compassionate extubation For example, nurse taught family caregivers how to administer enoxaparin For example, elderly patient became less agitated after seeing husband | |
| Unique use cases | For connecting patients to alternative avenues of support For example, patient with cirrhosis attended virtual alcoholics anonymous meetings while awaiting liver transplant For physical and occupational therapists to motivate patients For example, patient practised exercises with her husband daily; therapists were able to gather a more informed baseline from family | For enabling international calls for patients’ families For example, family members from three countries prayed together with a patient over video call when she transitioned to comfort care For language translation For example, family member translated for a patient who spoke a dialect not understood by hospital interpreters | For engaging patients in affiliated nursing facility (ie, community living centre) For example, using tablets for combination of educational games, books and videos for patients For enabling patients to pay bills while hospitalised For example, patients paid bills at home with the help of medical students and social workers |
| Provider impact quotes | ‘Nurses are distressed with the visitor restrictions causing moral injury for patients and themselves… these video capabilities have helped ease the burden’—ICU unit director | ‘We had video calls last night (with a family) before the patient passed… I’ve been doing this for 40 years and what’s going on with the visitor restrictions keeps me up at night.’—ICU nurse | ‘An elderly admitted patient would barely engage with hospital staff. I set up a video call with his daughter, and he became more animated and talkative than I had ever seen him.’—Resident physician |
*Does not include number of video visits completed for patients with provider-driven and nursing-driven workflow.
ICU, intensive care unit; VA, veterans administration.