Principal Investigator: Saif Khairat
Funded by: National Institute of Nursing Research
Award amount: $3,329,226
Dates: 2/2/2026 – 11/30/2030
This study examines the relationship between virtual nursing and bedside nurses’ job demands, as well as other multilevel outcomes. It also explores the organizational resources required to support virtual nursing and proposes solutions to mitigate burnout.
Healthcare settings are struggling to provide enough nurses to meet patients’ needs. About 40% of nurses reported high rates of burnout and leaving their positions prematurely. Burnout is driven by high job demands and limited organizational resources. Virtual nursing, an organizational strategy developed during the pandemic to deliver patient care, is used by 43% of U.S. hospitals. In these models, remote nurses engage in team-based care using telehealth. Virtual nursing is expected to reduce job demands for bedside nurses, but little is known about its impact on job demands and resources.
To address this gap, the research team will conduct a multi-site, natural experiment across nine diverse hospitals. The study will generate real-world, data-driven evidence on the job demands and resources associated with virtual nursing.
Khairat’s research team includes Cheryl Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing; Jamie L. Crandell, PhD, associate professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing; Valerie Howard, EdD, MSN, RN, FAAN, dean and professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing; and Elizabeth Chen, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and founding director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, serves as a consultant.
