Registered nurse intent to promote physical activity for hospitalised liver transplant recipients

To describe how registered nurse work motivation, attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control influence intention to promote physical activity in hospitalised adult liver transplant recipients.

Descriptive study of clinical registered nurses caring for recipients of liver transplant at a tertiary medical centre.

Intent to Mobilise Liver Transplant Recipient Scale, Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale, and demographics were used to explore registered nurses' work motivation, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intention to promote physical activity of hospitalised adult liver transplant recipients during the acute postoperative phase. Data analysis included demographics, comparison between scale items and analysis of factors predicting intent to mobilise.

Factors predictive of intention to promote physical activity after liver transplant included appropriate knowledge to mobilise patients (R²  = .40) and identification of physical activity as nursing staff priority (R²  = .15) and responsibility (R²  = .03).

When implementing an early mobilisation protocol after the liver transplant, education on effects of physical activity in the immediate postoperative period are essential to promote implementation in practice. Nursing care environment and leadership must be supportive to ensure mobility is a registered nurse priority and responsibility. Nursing managers can leverage results to implement a mobility protocol.