The MedSitter platform uses remote observation technology to put one virtual sitter in front of up to 10 at-risk patients. With MedSitter, more patients can benefit from observation without straining staff resources.
When a patient is deemed to be at-risk, the onsite nursing staff may choose to place a 1:1 sitter in their room to keep them safe. A sitter is meant to help prevent adverse patient events, like falls. Patient falls are a serious concern in hospitals, with up to 1,000,000 patients falling in U.S. hospitals annually. (Source: AHRQ). It is a major concern for nursing departments across the nation, but sadly pales in comparison to current concerns over nurse staffing.
Nursing shortages have been an issue for several years, with a 2018 study predicting that by 2025, the U.S. would be short by 95,000 nurses. (Source: Mercer Health Provider Advisory). These predictions were made before the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to 18% of the U.S healthcare workforce resigning from healthcare positions. (Source: Becker’s Hospital Review). Unfortunately, patient safety is often triaged as there simply is not enough onsite staff to handle both nursing and sitting duties.
Introducing: MedSitter Remote Observation
MedSitter is a solution for nursing departments struggling with staff shortages. MedSitter provides hospitals with observation carts for patient rooms along with a corresponding remote monitoring station. If a patient is deemed to be at-risk, a MedSitter cart can be brought to their room. That patient is then connected to the remote monitoring station via a persistent video connection, which means that the patient can always be seen by the virtual sitter and the virtual sitter can appear onscreen in the patient’s room immediately with just the click of one button. The virtual sitter can alert onsite staff if a patient is in danger, and adverse events can be avoided. One MedSitter virtual sitter can onboard up to ten patients, and virtual sitters can communicate with any of them quickly and efficiently. MedSitter is a powerful way to keep patients safe in an innovative, non-invasive way.
How MedSitter Supports Staffing
Since one virtual sitter can watch up to ten patients, MedSitter essentially makes one sitter 10x more effective. With MedSitter, onsite nurses do not need to triage between the patients that may benefit from observation. With MedSitter, more patients can be observed without requiring more staff members. MedSitter also provides supplemental staffing for hospitals under intense staff pressure with MedSitter+ Staff. With MedSitter+ Staff, patients in hospitals across the nation can be connected to trained MedSitter employees for observation.
MedSitter was created with real-world clinical issues in mind. By supporting both patient safety and nursing units under staffing pressure, MedSitter goes a long way towards improving the inpatient experience for everyone involved. To learn more about MedSitter and to discuss getting it up and running in your facility, visit the Contact Us page now.
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