Early DischargeVIP careNCT06936891
Virtual Ward for Early Discharge in Patients Receiving Inpatient Care
A study testing Virtual Ward in people with Early Discharge and Telemedicine, run by Erasmus Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.
Trial summary
This study evaluates the feasibility of providing hospital-level care at home for eligible patients through a Virtual Ward. Patients are discharged early from the hospital and monitored remotely using digital vital sign monitoring and anamnesis questionnaires. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Early Discharge, Telemedicine, Virtual Clinic
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Ward
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 306 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNetherlands
- Study dates
- 16 Apr 2025to 31 Dec 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Adult patients (≥18 years old).
- Currently hospitalized and eligible for early discharge according to clinical judgment.
- Ability to provide written informed consent.
- Access to a smartphone or tablet with internet connection.
- Patient is capable of using the Digizorg app or has support from a caregiver who can assist.
- Suitable home situation for Virtual Ward care (e.g., safe environment, necessary utilities available).
- Enrollment in one of the predefined Virtual Ward care pathways
Who cannot join
- Patients requiring continuous hospital-based monitoring or interventions that cannot be safely delivered at home.
- Patients who are hemodynamically unstable or require oxygen therapy >5 liters/minute at the time of discharge.
- Patients unable or unwilling to comply with home monitoring procedures.
- Patients with significant cognitive impairment without adequate caregiver support.
- Patients with a life expectancy less than 30 days, as assessed by the treating physician.
- Patients participating in another interventional clinical trial that could interfere with the Virtual Ward protocol.
- Any other condition that, in the opinion of the treating physician, would make participation unsafe or infeasible.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Cox van de Weg, MD, PhD contact
Netherlands1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Erasmus Medical Center
Rotterdam
Michael van Herwerden, MD, 010 704 0704, m.vanherwerden@erasmusmc.nl
Cox van de Weg, MD, PhD, m.vanherwerden@erasmusmc.nl
About this study
Official title: Virtual Ward for Early Discharge in Patients Receiving Inpatient Care: A Prospective Feasibility Study on Home Monitoring for the Early Discharge of Eligible Hospitalized Patients in an Outpatient Setting
This study evaluates the feasibility of providing hospital-level care at home for eligible patients through a Virtual Ward. Patients are discharged early from the hospital and monitored remotely using digital vital sign monitoring and anamnesis questionnaires. The primary aim is to determine if at least 30% of eligible patients can be safely and successfully transferred to the Virtual Ward under current Dutch healthcare conditions.
Read the detailed description
Rationale: Patients undergo extensive diagnostics and treatment adjustments during the early days of their hospitalization, which may become less imperative as their admission progresses. If a patient's vital signs stabilize after the initial hospitalization, and they only necessitate "less urgent" hospital care, an option is to transfer them to the Virtual Ward and thereby creating hospital capacity. This telemedicine-driven model presents an alternative to the conventional in-patient care approach. In the Virtual Ward, patients continue to receive care under supervision of the hospital physician but from the comfort of their own homes. This means the hospital oversees the monitoring of vital signs, performing diagnostics and treatment in the patient's home environment. A growing body of evidence supports the safety of "Virtual Wards." However, although proven safe, its feasibility remains uncertain.
Objective: To assess the feasibility of the Virtual Ward in six pre-defined sub-cohorts of non elective hospitalized patients within the current Dutch healthcare system.
Study design: This is a single-center prospective cohort trial with 6 sub-cohorts.
Study population: Admitted patients (minimum age 18) receiving inpatient care that are eligible for discharge to the Virtual Ward.
Intervention (if applicable): Patients will be discharged to the Virtual Ward with monitoring, diagnostics, and treatment at home.
Main study parameters/endpoints: To assess the feasibility of the Virtual Ward across six pre-defined sub-cohorts of non-elective hospitalized patients by determining the percentage of patients who provide informed consent and are successfully transferred to the Virtual Ward, with a feasibility threshold set at 30% for this pilot phase (adherence). Feasibility is determined per sub-cohort.
Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Patients who are admitted to the virtual ward can benefit from recovering in a home environment. Potential risks are that they are not within reach of the treating physicians in case of an adverse event. Patients need to fill in questionnaires and measure their own vital signs. There are no additional invasive interventions patients would need to undergo by participating in this study.
- Being tested
- Virtual Ward
- Keywords
- early discharge, telemedicine, virtual ward, virtual clinic, hospital at home, feasability, telemonitoring
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual WardCombination product
Hospital-level care at home using remote vital sign monitoring, digital anamnesis via the Digizorg app, and integration with the Electronic Medical Record (HiX), managed by Virtual Ward staff following predefined care pathways.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Ward arm | Experimental | Patients receive hospital-level care at home via a Virtual Ward, including remote monitoring of vital signs, digital anamnesis questionnaires, and standard diagnostics and treatment, supported by telemonitoring staff and hospital physicians. Receives: Combination Product: Virtual Ward |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of Participants Successfully Transferred to the Virtual Ward After Providing Informed Consent
Successful transfer is defined as discharge from hospital to the Virtual Ward with start of home monitoring according to care pathways. Threshold for feasibility is ≥30%.
Measured: From enrollment to transfer to Virtual Ward (during hospitalization, up to 7 days)
Secondary outcomes (10)
Number of Eligible Patients Invited for Participation
Eligible patients are those meeting the inclusion criteria, identified during hospitalization.
Measured: From enrollment to invitation during hospitalization (up to 7 days)
Number of Invited Patients Providing Informed Consent
Informed consent is obtained after providing oral and written information.
Measured: From enrollment to signing informed consent during hospitalization (up to 7 days)
Time from Study Inclusion to Transfer to Virtual Ward
Time is measured in days between signing informed consent and actual discharge to Virtual Ward.
Measured: From informed consent to Virtual Ward admission (up to 7 days)
Number of Notifications Generated During Virtual Ward Monitoring
Notifications include vital sign alerts or digital anamnesis alerts, categorized into low-exceeding or high-exceeding limits.
Measured: From Virtual Ward admission up to 30 days after discharge
Number of Contact Moments with Virtual Ward Staff
Contact moments include staff-initiated, patient-initiated, and home nurse-initiated contacts recorded with reasons.
Measured: From Virtual Ward admission up to 30 days after discharge
Length of Stay in Hospital Ward Prior to Virtual Ward Transfer
Measured in days from hospital admission to discharge to the Virtual Ward
Measured: From hospital admission to Virtual Ward admission
Length of Stay in the Virtual Ward
Measured in days from Virtual Ward admission to discharge from Virtual Ward.
Measured: During Virtual Ward stay
Hospital Readmission Rate During Virtual Ward Stay
Readmission is defined as return to hospital ward due to clinical deterioration or treatment need.
Measured: During Virtual Ward stay
Hospital Readmission Rate Within 30 Days After Virtual Ward Discharge
Readmission defined as hospitalization for clinical reasons after Virtual Ward discharge.
Measured: From Virtual Ward discharge up to 30 days
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by EQ-5D-3L
EQ-5D-3L score ranges from 0 (worst health) to 1 (best health). Difference between baseline and end of Virtual Ward stay will be measured.
Measured: From baseline (hospital inclusion) to end of Virtual Ward treatment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Apr 2025
- Study start16 Apr 2025
- Primary completion16 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Early DischargeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Erasmus Medical CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- In this single-group study, patients eligible for early discharge are enrolled into a Virtual Ward model, providing hospital-level care at home. Care includes diagnostics (e.g., laboratory and urine testing) and treatment (e.g., intravenous antibiotics) equivalent to standard inpatient care, but administered in the home environment. Vital signs (oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, temperature) are monitored remotely three times daily via CE-marked devices and a secure mobile application (Digizorg), connected to the Zorgverlenerscockpit (Electronic Medical Record). Patients complete digital anamnesis questionnaires three times daily. Alerts for deviating vital signs or symptoms are handled by Virtual Ward staff, who verify measurements and escalate to the responsible physician if needed, according to predefined care pathways. Communication with patients and physicians follows standard clinical care protocols through (video) calls.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 306 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Erasmus Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Michael Cornelis van Herwerden, Erasmus Medical Center
- Investigators
- Cox van de Weg, MD, PhD, Principal investigator, Erasmus Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06936891
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MEC-2024-0060
- Acronym
- VIP care
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 17 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
van Herwerden MC, Scholte NTB, Mkrtchjan A, Feyz L, Mol AP, Aitken J, de Boer RA, Chandoesing PP, Gommers DAMPJ, De Haan B, Den Hoed CM, van den Hoogen MWF, Peeters RP, Wlazlo N, Van Der Boon RMA, van De Weg CAM. Delivering hospital care at home in a Dutch Tertiary University Hospital: protocol for a prospective feasibility cohort study evaluating a Virtual Ward for early discharge of inpatients. BMJ Open. 2026 Feb 24;16(2):e115730. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-115730.
PubMed 41734918
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Virtual Ward for Early Discharge in Patients Receiving Inpatient Care: A Prospective Feasibility Study on Home Monitoring for the Early Discharge of Eligible Hospitalized Patients in an Outpatient Setting
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06936891
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- VIP care / MEC-2024-0060
- Keywords
- early discharge, telemedicine, virtual ward, virtual clinic, hospital at home, feasability, telemonitoring
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 306 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Erasmus Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 16 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 16 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 20 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study evaluates the feasibility of providing hospital-level care at home for eligible patients through a Virtual Ward. Patients are discharged early from the hospital and monitored remotely using digital vital sign monitoring and anamnesis questionnaires. The primary aim is to determine if at least 30% of eligible patients can be safely and successfully transferred to the Virtual Ward under current Dutch healthcare conditions.
Detailed description
Rationale: Patients undergo extensive diagnostics and treatment adjustments during the early days of their hospitalization, which may become less imperative as their admission progresses. If a patient's vital signs stabilize after the initial hospitalization, and they only necessitate "less urgent" hospital care, an option is to transfer them to the Virtual Ward and thereby creating hospital capacity. This telemedicine-driven model presents an alternative to the conventional in-patient care approach. In the Virtual Ward, patients continue to receive care under supervision of the hospital physician but from the comfort of their own homes. This means the hospital oversees the monitoring of vital signs, performing diagnostics and treatment in the patient's home environment. A growing body of evidence supports the safety of "Virtual Wards." However, although proven safe, its feasibility remains uncertain.
Objective: To assess the feasibility of the Virtual Ward in six pre-defined sub-cohorts of non elective hospitalized patients within the current Dutch healthcare system.
Study design: This is a single-center prospective cohort trial with 6 sub-cohorts.
Study population: Admitted patients (minimum age 18) receiving inpatient care that are eligible for discharge to the Virtual Ward.
Intervention (if applicable): Patients will be discharged to the Virtual Ward with monitoring, diagnostics, and treatment at home.
Main study parameters/endpoints: To assess the feasibility of the Virtual Ward across six pre-defined sub-cohorts of non-elective hospitalized patients by determining the percentage of patients who provide informed consent and are successfully transferred to the Virtual Ward, with a feasibility threshold set at 30% for this pilot phase (adherence). Feasibility is determined per sub-cohort.
Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Patients who are admitted to the virtual ward can benefit from recovering in a home environment. Potential risks are that they are not within reach of the treating physicians in case of an adverse event. Patients need to fill in questionnaires and measure their own vital signs. There are no additional invasive interventions patients would need to undergo by participating in this study.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- In this single-group study, patients eligible for early discharge are enrolled into a Virtual Ward model, providing hospital-level care at home. Care includes diagnostics (e.g., laboratory and urine testing) and treatment (e.g., intravenous antibiotics) equivalent to standard inpatient care, but administered in the home environment. Vital signs (oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, temperature) are monitored remotely three times daily via CE-marked devices and a secure mobile application (Digizorg), connected to the Zorgverlenerscockpit (Electronic Medical Record). Patients complete digital anamnesis questionnaires three times daily. Alerts for deviating vital signs or symptoms are handled by Virtual Ward staff, who verify measurements and escalate to the responsible physician if needed, according to predefined care pathways. Communication with patients and physicians follows standard clinical care protocols through (video) calls.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Ward arm | Experimental | Combination Product: Virtual WardPatients receive hospital-level care at home via a Virtual Ward, including remote monitoring of vital signs, digital anamnesis questionnaires, and standard diagnostics and treatment, supported by telemonitoring staff and hospital physicians. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Adult patients (≥18 years old).
- Currently hospitalized and eligible for early discharge according to clinical judgment.
- Ability to provide written informed consent.
- Access to a smartphone or tablet with internet connection.
- Patient is capable of using the Digizorg app or has support from a caregiver who can assist.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Patients requiring continuous hospital-based monitoring or interventions that cannot be safely delivered at home.
- Patients who are hemodynamically unstable or require oxygen therapy >5 liters/minute at the time of discharge.
- Patients unable or unwilling to comply with home monitoring procedures.
- Patients with significant cognitive impairment without adequate caregiver support.
- Patients with a life expectancy less than 30 days, as assessed by the treating physician.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual WardHospital-level care at home using remote vital sign monitoring, digital anamnesis via the Digizorg app, and integration with the Electronic Medical Record (HiX), managed by Virtual Ward staff following predefined care pathways. | Combination product | Virtual Ward arm |
Primary outcome
Number of Participants Successfully Transferred to the Virtual Ward After Providing Informed Consent
Time frame: From enrollment to transfer to Virtual Ward (during hospitalization, up to 7 days)
Successful transfer is defined as discharge from hospital to the Virtual Ward with start of home monitoring according to care pathways. Threshold for feasibility is ≥30%.
10 secondary outcomes
Number of Eligible Patients Invited for Participation
Time frame: From enrollment to invitation during hospitalization (up to 7 days)
Number of Invited Patients Providing Informed Consent
Time frame: From enrollment to signing informed consent during hospitalization (up to 7 days)
Time from Study Inclusion to Transfer to Virtual Ward
Time frame: From informed consent to Virtual Ward admission (up to 7 days)
Number of Notifications Generated During Virtual Ward Monitoring
Time frame: From Virtual Ward admission up to 30 days after discharge
Number of Contact Moments with Virtual Ward Staff
Time frame: From Virtual Ward admission up to 30 days after discharge
Length of Stay in Hospital Ward Prior to Virtual Ward Transfer
Time frame: From hospital admission to Virtual Ward admission
Length of Stay in the Virtual Ward
Time frame: During Virtual Ward stay
Hospital Readmission Rate During Virtual Ward Stay
Time frame: During Virtual Ward stay
Hospital Readmission Rate Within 30 Days After Virtual Ward Discharge
Time frame: From Virtual Ward discharge up to 30 days
Change in Quality of Life as Measured by EQ-5D-3L
Time frame: From baseline (hospital inclusion) to end of Virtual Ward treatment
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Feb 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41734918van Herwerden MC, Scholte NTB, Mkrtchjan A, Feyz L, Mol AP, Aitken J, de Boer RA, Chandoesing PP, Gommers DAMPJ, De Haan B, Den Hoed CM, van den Hoogen MWF, Peeters RP, Wlazlo N, Van Der Boon RMA, van De Weg CAM. Delivering hospital care at home in a Dutch Tertiary University Hospital: protocol for a prospective feasibility cohort study evaluating a Virtual Ward for early discharge of inpatients. BMJ Open. 2026 Feb 24;16(2):e115730. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-115730.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Cox van de Weg, MD, PhD contact
Cox van de Weg, MD, PhD principal investigator
Erasmus Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Ward in people with Early Discharge and Telemedicine, run by Erasmus Medical Center at 1 site in Netherlands.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Michael C. van Herwerden, MD (+31107040704, m.vanherwerden@erasmusmc.nl), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Number of Participants Successfully Transferred to the Virtual Ward After Providing Informed Consent (time frame: From enrollment to transfer to Virtual Ward (during hospitalization, up to 7 days)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06936891, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Feb 2026.