When Houston Methodist launched the Translational Research Initiative (TRI) in 2014, the aim was twofold: provide vital funding to promising new therapies ready to make the transition from the research laboratory to clinical use, and capitalize on Houston’s bold entrepreneurial spirit to lead the way toward a new model of medical innovation. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has escalated a digital transformation within intensive care units (ICUs), where remote monitoring technologies enable professionals to manage their patients more efficiently and safely.

The virtual ICU provides continuous intensivist coverage for Houston Methodist’s 300+ ICU beds, offering additional support to bedside ICU teams. The virtual unit’s operations center is equipped with specialized software that captures and analyzes real-time clinical data to calculate each patient’s stability or risk of deterioration, allowing the team to anticipate events and act quickly. Each of the ICU rooms are equipped with a virtual alert button so that the bedside team can immediately alert the remote intensivist and nurses. The patient rooms also contain two-way audiovisual technologies for unobtrusive observation or communication between the patient, bedside team and virtual team. Houston Methodist has also deployed tablets for health care providers to perform “virtual rounds” on patients.