We found a decrease in ICU LOS in the early mobility group; 3.09 vs 2.42 days (p=0.015). There was also a trended decrease in hospital LOS with the early mobilization intervention; 5.97 vs 5.29 (p=0.1886). This quality improvement study focused on one key element (early mobility) of an intensive care unit (ICU) evidenced-based practice bundle. Nursing champions facilitated daily screening with physical therapists to identify barriers to early mobility. Each patient that qualified for early mobility was prioritized for mobility. Our data suggest that with the early mobility intervention, there was a decrease in ICU length of stay (LOS) as well as a decreased trend in hospital LOS. Early mobility is a key part of ICU care and should be considered for every patient to improve outcomes.
Problem: Increased length of stay in ICU patients puts them at risk for healthcare-associated infections and other harms including loss of functional mobility. Further, decreasing the length of stay in the ICU decreases the hold times for patients in the emergency department waiting for bed placement
Measurement: Chart review looking for documentation of patient mobility in relation to the day they were eligible to be mobilized. Other demographic data were also collected to look for differences between groups. Early mobility was defined as mobility out of bed on the day they screened as eligible
Analysis: Retrospective baseline data & prospective post-intervention data were analyzed using Chi-square tests and t-tests were used to look for differences between groups
Implementation: Nursing champions facilitated daily screening with physical therapists to identify barriers to early mobility. Each patient that qualified for early mobility was prioritized for mobility. We utilized a tool that was completed by the RN listing barriers to early mobility on a daily basis. The main obstacle was intravenous sedation
