Implementing Early Mobility Practices in a Respiratory Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project.

Background: Early mobility (EM) is beneficial for critically ill patients, but adoption in intermediate care units remains limited.

Local problem: At the project site, fewer than 10% of patients admitted to the respiratory care unit (RCU) engaged in EM due to clinical severity, lack of staff confidence, and limited collaboration with physical therapy.

Methods: A pre- postimplementation quality improvement design was used to assess mobility outcomes.

Interventions: A nurse-driven EM program was implemented in a 10-bed RCU at a tertiary center. A multidisciplinary team delivered staff education, introduced an evidence-based protocol, and addressed barriers.

Results: Forty-eight patients were included in the project (22 preimplementation and 26 postimplementation). The number of physical therapy consultations increased from 36% to 73% (P= .01), with 69% of patients achieving higher discharge mobility postimplementation versus 59% preimplementation. Length of stay and mortality were unchanged.

Conclusions: EM practices improve mobility in intermediate care through education and collaboration.