Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36633298›Full record

ArticleAge and ageing2023

Virtual wards: a rapid evidence synthesis and implications for the care of older people.

Gill Norman, Paula Bennett, Emma R L C Vardy

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Age and ageing, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
46citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

46 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. Barriers and facilitators to the use of virtual wards: a systematic review of the qualitative evidence.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2025
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  12. Staying Connected? Revaluing 'Relationship Goods' in Digital Health Ecologies.Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Gill NormanDivision of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work; School of Health Sciences; Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Paula BennettHealth Innovation Manchester, City Labs, Nelson Street, Manchester, UK.
Emma R L C VardySalford Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Stott Lane, Salford, UK.

Funding

Department of Health NIHR200174
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVirtual wards are being rapidly developed within the National Health Service in the UK, and frailty is one of the first clinical pathways. Virtual wards for older people and existing hospital at home services are closely related.

methodsIn March 2022, we searched Medline, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and medRxiv for evidence syntheses which addressed clinical-effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, barriers and facilitators, or staff, patient or carer experience for virtual wards, hospital at home or remote monitoring alternatives to inpatient care.

resultsWe included 28 evidence syntheses mostly relating to hospital at home. There is low to moderate certainty evidence that clinical outcomes including mortality (example pooled RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.60-0.99) were probably equivalent or better for hospital at home. Subsequent residential care admissions are probably reduced (example pooled RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.22-0.57). Cost-effectiveness evidence demonstrated methodological issues which mean the results are uncertain. Evidence is lacking on cost implications for patients and carers. Barriers and facilitators operate at multiple levels (organisational, clinical and patient). Patient satisfaction may be improved by hospital at home relative to inpatient care. Evidence for carer experience is limited.

conclusionsThere is substantial evidence for the clinical effectiveness of hospital at home but less evidence for virtual wards. Guidance for virtual wards is lacking on key aspects including team characteristics, outcome selection and data protection. We recommend that research and evaluation is integrated into development of virtual ward models. The issue of carer strain is particularly relevant.

Indexed as

HospitalizationState MedicineAgedHospitalsHumansSystematic Reviews as TopicTreatment Outcomefrailtyhospital at homeolder peoplerapid evidence synthesisvirtual wards

Identifiers

PMID36633298
PMCPMC9835137

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.