Meeting Proceedings for “Addressing the Challenges & Policy Implications of Virtual Nursing"

Proceedings Feature Policy Recommendations and Discussion Summaries

Washington, DC (December 19, 2024)—The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) has released the meeting proceedings from the September 2024 Policy Dialogue, “Addressing the Challenges and Policy Implications of Virtual Nursing,” hosted by the Academy’s Expert Panels on Building Health Care System Excellence and Informatics & Technology. The Academy’s Policy Dialogues convene thought leaders to discuss a pressing topic and to propose policy recommendations that champion the organization’s policy priorities to advance health equity.

The Academy’s Expert Panels are the organization’s thought leadership bodies. Through the Expert Panels, Academy Fellows, with subject matter expertise, review the current trends, research, and issues within their field to make informed and evidenced-based recommendations. By hosting Policy Dialogues, Expert Panels lead engaging discussions to further enhance awareness and develop policy proposals that work to achieve the Academy's vision of healthy lives for all people.

The Academy is pleased to release the summary for this Policy Dialogue, centered on policy issues related to the implementation of virtual nursing models of care and technology-assisted nursing into current health care practices. Participants in this dialogue were able to hear from leading experts about critical questions surrounding virtual nursing's impact on established competencies, licensure, standards of practice, regulation, evaluation, payment, and the implications for policy.

Key takeaways from the dialogue include:

• Virtual Nursing Can Meaningfully Expand Access to Care and Improve Nurse Well-Being
• Intentional Design of Safe, User-Centered Systems Must Account for Common Challenges and Risks
• Virtual Nursing Strengthens Patient Engagement and Empowerment in Care
• Policies Guiding Standards, Competencies, Licensure, and Payment Must Evolve with Virtual Care
• Quality and Safety Measures Must Be Reimagined for the Virtual Care Environment

Speakers for the dialogue, listed in order of presenting, included:

• Jeanette Ives Erickson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Nurse Emerita and Paul M. Erickson Chair in Nursing, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Cynthia Salisbury, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, CPPS, Executive Director of Nursing Operations, Providence
• Murielle Beene, DNP, MBA, MPH, MS, RN, NI-BC, PMP, FAMIA, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Informatics Officer, Trinity Health
• Patricia McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS, Senior Advisor of Patient and Workforce Safety and President of Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

Based on the discussion, the following policy recommendations were highlighted as key priorities for nursing to champion:

• Create an operational definition for virtual nursing—developed by the profession—and update standards, as well as competencies, in alignment with the intended workflow and goals of the virtual care environment.
• Expand federal resources for designing, testing, and implementing virtual nursing care models that increase access to care, promote greater workforce well-being, and account for risks and safety.
• Advocate for nursing representatives to engage in the emerging regulatory sphere and guide the design, testing, and implementation of user-centered virtual care technology systems.
• Revisit licensing requirements to allow nurses to practice across state lines with more flexibility in a virtual nursing role.
• Ensure virtual nursing models, such as the Hospital at Home model, are available on a permanent basis rather than provisionally through waivers.
• Implement quality and safety improvement indicators and measures for virtual nursing models that capture outcomes beyond traditional indicators within and across health systems.

Read the entire meeting's proceedings online. Additional Academy Meeting Proceedings are available to view online. Learn more about the Academy’s Expert Panels.