What is a virtual care unit (VCU)?
The VCU is a hospital unit that enables certain patients to be hospitalized at home. The care team is made up of a variety of healthcare professionals, as well as family caregivers who wish to help.
In the Laurentians, the virtual care unit has been available to patients at the Hôpital de Sainte-Agathe since September. The unit has already welcomed 21 patients, whose length of stay varies from a few days to a month. The average length of stay is 7 days. By March 2025, the plan is to also roll out the service to patients at Hôpital de Saint-Jérôme.
Hospitalization at home: why and in what cases?
Today’s technology and connected objects are highly efficient and accessible. In the healthcare sector, they enable safe and effective remote care. Patients can benefit from them in the comfort of their own homes.
Home hospitalization is revolutionizing the hospital environment. For example, it frees up hospital beds and relieves congestion in emergency departments. It also helps healthcare professionals provide care tailored to individual needs.
Learn more about the role of telehealth in home hospitalization by reading our previous article: Telehealth at the heart of home hospitalization.
To determine who can be referred to the VCU, the medical team assesses each patient’s condition according to specific criteria. The patient then has the option of accepting or refusing the service.
What are the benefits of the virtual care unit?
VCU is an attractive alternative to standard hospitalization. It enables patients to receive the right care at the right time. It also enables them to be accompanied at all times by a healthcare team, while remaining in a familiar and safe environment: at home.
By staying at home, patients also avoid the risk of infection. Their care experience is improved and promotes autonomy.
100% of patients hospitalized at home between September and December 2024 found their home to be a good environment in which to be hospitalized.
(source: responses from patients who completed the satisfaction survey offered by Hôpital de Sainte-Agathe).
It’s a great project. The patients are grateful, and it mobilizes them in the management of their disease.
How exactly does hospitalization at the VCU work?
The virtual care unit includes:
- 24/7 care and monitoring by a dedicated team;
- Home support services as needed;
- A suitcase containing connected medical devices. Its contents will be customized according to individual needs. It could include a tablet, a fall-prevention alarm system, a bathroom scale and other devices for measuring vital signs;
- Home delivery of medication;
- Transportation if necessary for a return to standard hospitalization or for medical appointments at the hospital.
Watch this video presentation of the VCU at CISSS des Laurentides (in French only):
What patients have to say…
A nice surprise for me.
We regain strength faster at home.
The staff members were very friendly and humanistic.
You feel less sick and can get back to certain activities more quickly.
I was recently hospitalized. After a week at Hôpital de Sainte-Agathe, I returned home under the supervision of the virtual care unit for a week. My experience with the VCU was excellent. The nurses and doctors communicated with me remotely, the remote vital signs instruments were very efficient and I received visits from the nurses at home to change dressings and take blood samples. It’s an initiative that should be extended to the whole province. I’d recommend it to anyone with a little autonomy.
…and their family caregivers
The positive impacts on patients are enormous and, as a result, are passed on to us caregivers.
Completely satisfied with the service received. Very good cooperation from the entire team.
My physical health is precarious these days. My wife’s home hospitalization was demanding but so positive. But I mustn’t forget myself.
This program is a win-win situation. A special mention to all the staff. Their interventions were professional, warm and comforting. The only suggestion I have is to expand this program as quickly as possible!