ArticlePLOS digital health2025
Practitioners' perspectives on implementation of acute virtual wards: A scoping review.
Article in PLOS digital health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beyond the Bedside: The Pivotal Role of Nursing Clinical Leadership in Developing Virtual Ward Care Through Telemedicine-A Review of the Evidence.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Review
- Policy Considerations for National Virtual Hospitals: Global Evidence and the Seha Virtual Hospital Model.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Virtual wards provide a promising alternative to traditional 'bedded care' by facilitating early discharges and delivering acute care at home. They focus specifically on patients needing acute care, which would traditionally necessitate an in-hospital stay. Understanding practitioners' beliefs and attitudes is crucial for successful implementation and operation of Virtual wards. This scoping review explores practitioners' perspectives on the implementation of virtual wards. A total of 18 studies were included in the final analysis from the 201 studies identified initially through searches in PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Embase databases (2015-2024) following PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Thematic analysis was conducted using Braun and Clarke's framework to identify key insights. Thematic analysis revealed key themes related to implementation, quality of care, technology, training, and awareness. These themes highlight the challenges influencing the adoption and considerations for the operational success of virtual wards. Virtual wards demonstrate significant potential for delivering acute care efficiently and sustainably. However, challenges related to service design, patient safety, technology integration, and workforce training must be addressed to ensure their successful implementation and long-term efficacy.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.