Study finds virtual nursing program may lower hospital readmissions

Discharges conducted by virtual nurses may lower hospital readmissions compared with those completed by floor nurses, according to a retrospective cohort study published in npj Digital Medicine. The study consisted of 4,662 patients who received discharge instructions from a virtual nurse and 4,662 patients who received discharge instructions from a floor nurse across nine hospitals in a Southeastern U.S. health system. Patients discharged through virtual nursing had lower 30-day emergency department readmission rates (3.7%) compared with those receiving traditional discharge care (13.3%). The researchers recorded similar findings for urban and rural hospitals. They postulate that centralized virtual nursing-supported discharge may improve discharge processes without causing worse short-term patient outcomes. (npj Digital Medicine article, 6/12/26)