Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jan/Mar;35(1):20-26.
doi: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000404.

Nurse-Led Mobility Program: Driving a Culture of Early Mobilization in Medical-Surgical Nursing

Renata A Jones  1 , Sarah Merkle, Lynze Ruvalcaba, Pippin Ashton, Casey Bailey, Mary Lopez
Affiliations

Nurse-Led Mobility Program: Driving a Culture of Early Mobilization in Medical-Surgical Nursing

Renata A Jones et al. J Nurs Care Qual. 2020 Jan/Mar.

Abstract

Background: Hospitalized medical-surgical patients are at risk for adverse health outcomes due to immobility. Despite well-documented consequences, low mobility is prevalent.

Local problem: In a 547-bed hospital, medical-surgical patients were mobilized less frequently than expected. Physical therapists were inappropriately consulted 22% of the time for routine mobility of patients. A preimplementation survey of registered nurses indicated a lack of knowledge and confidence to safely mobilize patients.

Methods: This quality improvement project implemented a nurse-led mobility program in an effort to increase early mobilization, reduce physical therapy referrals for routine mobility, and reduce the sequelae of immobility.

Interventions: The Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool and standardized interventions were implemented on 5 medical-surgical units.

Results: Postimplementation, nurse-led patient mobilizations increased by 40%, inappropriate physical therapy orders decreased 14%, and no significant change in patient falls or pressure injuries was noted.

Conclusion: A nurse-led mobility program was effective in increasing safe, early mobilization of patients and improving the culture of mobility.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Brown CJ, Redden DT, Flood KL, Allman RM. The underrecognized epidemic of low mobility during hospitalization of older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009;57(9):1660–1665.
    1. Mudge AM, McRae P, McHugh K, et al. Poor mobility in hospitalized adults. J Hosp Med. 2016;11(4):289–291.
    1. Dermody G, Kovach CR. Barriers to promoting mobility in hospitalized older adults. Res Gerontol Nurs. 2018;11(1):17–27.
    1. Brown CJ, Friedkin RJ, Inouye SK. Prevalence and outcomes of low mobility in hospitalized older patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004;52(8):1263–1270.
    1. Brown CJ, Foley KT, Lowman JD. Comparison of posthospitalization function and community mobility in hospital mobility program and usual care patients. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(7):921–927.

LinkOut - more resources