AF virtual ward at University Hospitals of Leicester

Enabling more patients to receive care out of hospital

Virtual wards remain a huge priority for the NHS and speaks directly to the government shift of moving care out of hospitals.

The virtual Atrial Fibrillation (AF) ward provides remote monitoring of patients who are haemodynamically (clinically) stable with a primary diagnosis of AF. Implementing this model aimed to speed up discharge, reduce the need for hospitalisation and reduce patient transfers between different hospital sites.

The challenge

AF is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. This can cause a range of symptoms, including dizziness, shortness of breath and tiredness. Patients may be aware of noticeable heart palpitations, where the heart feels like it is pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly, often for a few seconds or, in some cases, a few minutes.

Sometimes AF does not cause any symptoms and a person who has it is completely unaware that their heart rate is irregular. AF is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around 1.4 million people in the UK.

AF can affect adults of any age, but it is more common in older people; it is also more common in men than in women. AF is more likely to occur in people with other conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis or a heart valve problem.

Several specialities may be involved with a patient with AF, which introduces the risk of consequential delays in care, readmissions or inappropriate follow-up plans.

The solution

Using the digital platform Dignio alongside dedicated clinical frameworks and processes, the virtual ward in Leicester enabled the management of patients’ symptoms, including lifestyle advice and patient education, outside the inpatient setting. An evaluation of the programme focused on areas such as the impact on the workforce, patient outcomes, wider impacts on the hospital trust and patient pathways and flow across inpatient, community or other discharge destinations.

Impact and Outcomes

The evaluation of the programme in Leicester reported the following:

  • Each admission to the virtual ward saves approximately 2 hospital bed days per patient, particularly for patients who would otherwise have been admitted to inpatient care.
  • Based on the analysis of 146 patients who were suitable for the virtual ward but would have been admitted to traditional hospital care, the virtual ward saved an estimated 321 bed days over the course of a year.
  • High levels of satisfaction were reported, with 100% positive ratings in the Friends and Family feedback. It was noted that the virtual ward improved family experiences due to reduced separation.
  • Staff reported that it frees up time for some clinical staff, provides more options for treatment and provides increased job satisfaction.

Innovation Insight webinar

We hosted Innovation Insights webinar, which provided insight into important considerations when conducting healthcare evaluations and the impacts. Featuring Prof. Andre Ng, Suzanne Armstrong and evaluators Niche Health Consulting.

Listen back

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