The Virtual Post Discharge Nursing Clinic and Hospital Readmission: Systematic Review

Abstract

Hospital readmissions pose a persistent challenge to healthcare systems worldwide, signaling gaps in transitional care and contributing to increased costs and poor patient outcomes. In response, virtual post-discharge nursing clinics have emerged as an innovative telehealth-based intervention aimed at reducing preventable readmissions by providing remote follow-up, symptom monitoring, patient education, and early clinical intervention. This systematic literature review (SLR) synthesizes evidence from 2000 to 2024 to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual nursing clinics in minimizing hospital readmissions. The review draws from Scopus and Web of Science, using defined inclusion criteria targeting peer-reviewed, open-access studies focused on virtual nursing interventions in the post-discharge phase. The findings highlight both the potential benefits and limitations of such interventions, including variations in care models, technology integration, patient engagement, and outcomes across healthcare systems. While many studies report positive results particularly in managing chronic diseases and elderly populations gaps remain regarding standardization, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and equity in digital care access. This review contributes to the existing knowledge by identifying critical success factors, highlighting research gaps, and offering insights for healthcare policymakers and clinicians aiming to optimize transitional care through virtual nursing innovations.