Innovation in Nurse Staffing Models: Implementing a Tele-Critical Care Nurse Program in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Authors

Kellie Swink, Kellie Swink is Clinical Nurse Program Coordinator, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, Telemedicine Program, Children's National Hospital, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington DC, 20010 (KEng@childrensnational.org).
Menchee Berris, Menchee Berris is Clinical Nurse Program Coordinator, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, Telemedicine Program, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC.
Simmy King, Simmy King is Chief Nursing Informatics and Education Officer, Division of Nursing, Children's National Hospital, and George Washington University, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
Shaun Frame, Shaun Frame is Director, Nursing Inpatient Heart Institute, Children's National Heart Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC.
Ricardo Munoz, Ricardo Munoz is Chief, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, Executive Director of Telemedicine, and Co-director, Children's National Heart Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC.
Alejandro Lopez Magallon, Alejandro Lopez Magallon is Medical Director, Telemedicine Program, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

12-15-2023

Journal

AACN advanced critical care

Volume

34

Issue

4

DOI

10.4037/aacnacc2023719

Keywords

cardiovascular diseases; care delivery; pediatrics; tele-ICU; telemedicine; telenursing; tele–critical care

Abstract

A pediatric tele-critical care nursing program provides an extra layer of surveillance for patients and alerts bedside nurses of abnormal trends to mitigate adverse events. Although workforce turnover combined with patient complexity and acuity in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit strains the sustainability of a healthy work environment, these variables have also opened the door to an innovative approach to tele-critical care nursing care delivery. In addition to virtual surveillance, a clinical bedside intervention was developed to provide hands-on assistance to bedside nurses. This article describes the evolution of this novel technique for enhancing nursing care delivery.

APA Citation

Swink, Kellie; Berris, Menchee; King, Simmy; Frame, Shaun; Munoz, Ricardo; and Magallon, Alejandro Lopez, "Innovation in Nurse Staffing Models: Implementing a Tele-Critical Care Nurse Program in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit" (2023). GW Authored Works. Paper 3954.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/3954

Department

Nursing Faculty Publications