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Mobility Technicians: A Viable Solution to Early Ambulation of Total Joint Replacement Patients
Alexa B Lisevick1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, Stephanie Kelly1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, Michael S Cremins1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
1Alexa B. Lisevick, BS, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT.
Background:
Early ambulation of patients with total joint replacement (TJR) has been shown to improve outcomes while reducing length of stay and postoperative complications. Limited physical therapy (PT) resources and late-in-the-day cases may challenge day-of-surgery (POD0) ambulation. At our institution, a Mobility Technician (MT) program, composed of specially trained nurse's aides, was developed to address this issue.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the MT model with a traditional PT model in the early ambulation of patients with TJR.
Methods:
Patients undergoing unilateral primary TJR at a single institution between June 1, 2014, and October 31, 2018, were included. Ambulation measures were retrospectively assessed between pre- and post-MT program groups.
Results:
This study included 11,777 patients with TJR. Following the MT program, number of POD0 ambulations, POD0 ambulation distance, and total distance ambulated all increased while time-to-first ambulation decreased.
Conclusion:
Preliminary analyses indicate that the MT program has been successful in the early ambulation of patients with TJR.
