Progressive Mobility in the ICU and Patient Outcomes
The traditional standard of care for critically ill patients has long included the premise that patients need to rest and remain immobile (Schweikert et al., 2011). In contrast to this notion, evidence-based practice has shown that when healthcare workers utilize early and progressive mobility of these patients, patient outcomes improve. The length of hospital stay, development of ICU acquired weakness, inflammation biomarkers, and other neuro-muscular effects are all positively effected by interrupting periods of sedation and mobilizing the patient (Winkelman et al., 2015). This is an incredibly drastic shift in mentality and more critical care units are educating and adopting a progressive …show more content…
(2015) discusses how to educate the nursing staff on the effectiveness of progressive mobility. Patients who are critically ill often have a tremendous hurdle to get over even after they are discharged from the ICU. Messer and colleagues (2015) assessed their nursing staff’s knowledge and implementation of progressive mobility. Their study found that many nurses didn’t recognize when it was possible to mobilize the patient. After education, a higher percentage of nurses mobilized their patients when a potential mobility event took place and had a better understanding of the process (Messer et al., 2015). Many ICU nurses still subscribe to the “bed-rest” idea and fail to mobilize their patients when opportunities arise. This study successfully illustrated how outdated nursing practice can be an obstacle and that evidence-based practice can be effectively implemented to increase patient …show more content…
Through a multifaceted approach, Castro and colleagues improved nursing reception to the idea of such a program. The project utilized surveys and education, and allowed the nurses a chance to identify potential problem areas. Castro et al., (2015) identified the need to work with multiple professional disciplines and that larger operational changes had to happen. The result was an increase in nurse awareness of the benefits of early mobilization of all patients, including those that are mechanically ventilated (Castro et al., 2015). This study was a great example of interdisciplinary collaboration with a common goal that tremendously benefited the
The traditional standard of care for critically ill patients has long included the premise that patients need to rest and remain immobile (Schweikert et al., 2011). In contrast to this notion, evidence-based practice has shown that when healthcare workers utilize early and progressive mobility of these patients, patient outcomes improve. The length of hospital stay, development of ICU acquired weakness, inflammation biomarkers, and other neuro-muscular effects are all positively effected by interrupting periods of sedation and mobilizing the patient (Winkelman et al., 2015). This is an incredibly drastic shift in mentality and more critical care units are educating and adopting a progressive …show more content…
(2015) discusses how to educate the nursing staff on the effectiveness of progressive mobility. Patients who are critically ill often have a tremendous hurdle to get over even after they are discharged from the ICU. Messer and colleagues (2015) assessed their nursing staff’s knowledge and implementation of progressive mobility. Their study found that many nurses didn’t recognize when it was possible to mobilize the patient. After education, a higher percentage of nurses mobilized their patients when a potential mobility event took place and had a better understanding of the process (Messer et al., 2015). Many ICU nurses still subscribe to the “bed-rest” idea and fail to mobilize their patients when opportunities arise. This study successfully illustrated how outdated nursing practice can be an obstacle and that evidence-based practice can be effectively implemented to increase patient …show more content…
Through a multifaceted approach, Castro and colleagues improved nursing reception to the idea of such a program. The project utilized surveys and education, and allowed the nurses a chance to identify potential problem areas. Castro et al., (2015) identified the need to work with multiple professional disciplines and that larger operational changes had to happen. The result was an increase in nurse awareness of the benefits of early mobilization of all patients, including those that are mechanically ventilated (Castro et al., 2015). This study was a great example of interdisciplinary collaboration with a common goal that tremendously benefited the