SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-The Virtual Hospitalist: A Qualitative Study of Frontline Leaders Perspectives

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The document describes a rapid qualitative study of frontline clinicians and leaders about the Virtual Hospitalist (VH) project. The main focus is how virtual hospitalist care was adopted, accepted, and limited in practice.<br /><br />Key findings suggest that adoption of virtual care followed patterns consistent with the Diffusion of Innovation framework. Early reactions often included hesitation, especially from nurses and specialists who questioned whether safe hospital care could happen remotely. Over time, acceptance increased when clinicians gained direct experience with the model and saw its flexibility.<br /><br />Several barriers slowed wider implementation. A major issue was the need for scale: participants felt VH works best when it is part of a larger, sustainable system rather than a small standalone service. Financial uncertainty was another major obstacle, with concerns that the model did not yet “work” economically. Some efforts failed despite enthusiasm because the finances were not viable. Limited technology infrastructure also restricted adoption, especially where full telecoverage or remote support systems were not available.<br /><br />The study also found variation in prior experience with virtual hospitalist care among clinicians and hospital systems, which shaped attitudes toward the model. Overall, the project showed that while many people liked the idea of VH, successful implementation depended on education, reassurance, technology readiness, financial sustainability, and enough volume to justify the service.

Asset Subtitle

Matthew Sakumoto

Meta Tag

Author List Amy Yu, Angela Keniston, Ankur Segon, Kendall Rogers, Marisha Burden, Matthew Sakumoto, Michelle Knees, Natalie v. Schwatka, Sara Westergaard

Category Research

Concept Virtual Hospitalist Care

Concept Implementation Barriers

Concept Adoption

Concept Acceptability

Concept Frontline Clinician

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of California San Francisco

Presenting Author Matthew Sakumoto

Track Technology in Hospital Medicine

Keywords

Virtual Hospitalist

virtual care

frontline clinicians

Diffusion of Innovation

adoption

implementation barriers

financial sustainability

technology infrastructure

telecoverage

hospital care

Virtual Hospitalist Care

Implementation Barriers

Adoption

Acceptability

Frontline Clinician