At the CHI Franciscan's Clinical Operations Center in Tacoma, Wash., teams of technicians, nurses and providers use technology to remotely assist patients and staff across the regional health system, according to an article on the Kitsap Sun website.
The role of most employees in the "virtual hospital" is to provide a second set of eyes on patients in CHI Franciscan's real-world hospitals.
Virtual "companions" keep an eye on particularly vulnerable patients, who are also assigned "sitters" in their rooms.
Virtual companions can communicate with patients and staff through a camera, speaker and screen installed the rooms, or by calling staff directly.
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