'Virtual ward' Bed Uses four Times Less Carbon Than Traditional Inpatient Bed

A virtual ward bed uses four times less carbon than a traditional inpatient bed, so helping the NHS achieve its net zero target by 2045, finds the first study of its kind, published in the open-access journal BMJ Innovations.And they are a promising way to care for more patients effectively, with the potential to reduce the need to build more high-carbon impact hospitals, suggest the researchers.A virtual ward, also known as "hospital at home," provides hospital-level care to patients in the comfort of their own homes, leveraging digital technology and remote monitoring.In recent years, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual wards have been widely adopted throughout England to ease pressures on hospital bed capacity and streamline patient flow, say the researchers.