The following is a summary of “Physician Experiences With Implementing a Virtual Observation Unit in Emergency Medicine,” published in the January 2025 issue of Emergency Medicine by Jung et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand physicians’ experiences and perceptions of delivering care through a virtual observation unit in emergency departments (EDs).
They performed a semistructured, in-depth interviews with 10 emergency physicians staffing the newly established virtual observation unit at an academic hospital. Thematic analysis involved identifying and analyzing codes to uncover key themes in the data (e.g., essential insights from physician experiences).
The results showed 3 key themes regarding emergency physicians’ experiences with the virtual observation unit: building stronger connections with individuals receiving care, as this model enabled more time spent and care delivery within the home environment; enhanced appreciation for interprofessional and inter-specialty collaboration, as the unit facilitated close teamwork with nurses, paramedics, and primary care physicians; and manageable programmatic challenges, including navigating complex technology and identifying suitable individuals with appropriate clinical conditions who were open to home-based care (e.g., multipronged technology). These experiences improved perceptions of patient-physician interactions and heightened job satisfaction among participants in the virtual observation unit.
Investigators concluded the positive physician experiences observed within the virtual observation unit highlight the potential benefits to physician well-being, interprofessional collaboration, and interspecialty care that should be considered when funding telehealth and similar care models.
Source: annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(24)01215-0/fulltext
