The role of virtual wards in maternity in the United Kingdom

Lisa Story; Melanie Nana; Megan Hall; Adam Fitzgerald; Gina Brockwell; Eugene Oteng-Ntim; Sonji Clarke; Fiona Challacombe; Catherine Nelson-Piercy; Andrew Shennan

doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.038

The role of virtual wards in maternity in the United Kingdom

Lisa Story^*, Melanie Nana, Megan Hall, Adam Fitzgerald, Gina Brockwell, Eugene Oteng-Ntim, Sonji Clarke, Fiona Challacombe, Catherine Nelson-Piercy, Andrew Shennan

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

Virtual wards are an initiative which aims to provide hospital care from the comfort of the patient's own home. Monitoring and additional services, such as intravenous drugs and fluids and blood tests can be undertaken through this system. Although virtual wards have been used in the UK since 2005 in specialties such as General Medicine, General Surgery and Paediatrics, their use in maternity has been more limited. This article aims to review their current use in the UK and beyond as well as to discuss some of the advantages and challenges they may pose to a maternity population.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	228-231
Number of pages	4
Journal	European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Volume	305
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.038
Publication status	Published - Feb 2025

Keywords

High-risk pregnancies
Maternity
Obstetrics
United Kingdom
Virtual ward

Access to Document

10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.038

Cite this

@article{0250387931564bdeab56f0e326b75a82,

title = "The role of virtual wards in maternity in the United Kingdom",

abstract = "Virtual wards are an initiative which aims to provide hospital care from the comfort of the patient's own home. Monitoring and additional services, such as intravenous drugs and fluids and blood tests can be undertaken through this system. Although virtual wards have been used in the UK since 2005 in specialties such as General Medicine, General Surgery and Paediatrics, their use in maternity has been more limited. This article aims to review their current use in the UK and beyond as well as to discuss some of the advantages and challenges they may pose to a maternity population.",

keywords = "High-risk pregnancies, Maternity, Obstetrics, United Kingdom, Virtual ward",

author = "Lisa Story and Melanie Nana and Megan Hall and Adam Fitzgerald and Gina Brockwell and Eugene Oteng-Ntim and Sonji Clarke and Fiona Challacombe and Catherine Nelson-Piercy and Andrew Shennan",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2025",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.038",

language = "English",

volume = "305",

pages = "228--231",

journal = "European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology",

issn = "0301-2115",

publisher = "Elsevier Ireland Ltd",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of virtual wards in maternity in the United Kingdom

AU - Story, Lisa

AU - Nana, Melanie

AU - Hall, Megan

AU - Fitzgerald, Adam

AU - Brockwell, Gina

AU - Oteng-Ntim, Eugene

AU - Clarke, Sonji

AU - Challacombe, Fiona

AU - Nelson-Piercy, Catherine

AU - Shennan, Andrew

PY - 2025/2

Y1 - 2025/2

N2 - Virtual wards are an initiative which aims to provide hospital care from the comfort of the patient's own home. Monitoring and additional services, such as intravenous drugs and fluids and blood tests can be undertaken through this system. Although virtual wards have been used in the UK since 2005 in specialties such as General Medicine, General Surgery and Paediatrics, their use in maternity has been more limited. This article aims to review their current use in the UK and beyond as well as to discuss some of the advantages and challenges they may pose to a maternity population.

AB - Virtual wards are an initiative which aims to provide hospital care from the comfort of the patient's own home. Monitoring and additional services, such as intravenous drugs and fluids and blood tests can be undertaken through this system. Although virtual wards have been used in the UK since 2005 in specialties such as General Medicine, General Surgery and Paediatrics, their use in maternity has been more limited. This article aims to review their current use in the UK and beyond as well as to discuss some of the advantages and challenges they may pose to a maternity population.

KW - High-risk pregnancies

KW - Maternity

KW - Obstetrics

KW - United Kingdom

KW - Virtual ward

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85212951495&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.038

DO - 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.038

M3 - Review article

C2 - 39721347

AN - SCOPUS:85212951495

SN - 0301-2115

VL - 305

SP - 228

EP - 231

JO - European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology

JF - European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology

ER -

The role of virtual wards in maternity in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this