Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 7, 2025
Author Spotlight: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Movement Observation in Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
Improving Mobility Practices of Critically Ill Children
Insights
This quality improvement project enhanced mobility practices in a pediatric intensive care unit by implementing new guidelines and therapy referrals. Nurses reported increased confidence in patient mobilization.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Intensive Care
- Quality Improvement Science
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) often face challenges in maintaining patient mobility.
- Limited mobility can negatively impact patient outcomes and recovery times.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement and evaluate a quality improvement project aimed at enhancing mobility practices within a PICU.
- To assess the impact of structured interventions on patient mobility frequency, therapy referrals, and nursing confidence.
Main Methods:
- Implemented a staff-developed mobility progression guideline with visual aids.
- Mandated physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) referrals for eligible patients.
- Utilized activity goal posters to track progress.
Main Results:
- Increased median daily mobility activities per patient encounter from 1.5 to 4.0.
- Observed a 43% increase in PT referrals and a 61% increase in OT referrals.
- Reported a 69% improvement in nurses' confidence in mobilizing patients.
Conclusions:
- An interprofessional quality improvement project successfully enhanced mobility practices in a PICU.
- The implemented interventions led to significant improvements in patient mobility and nursing confidence.
Introduction:
This quality improvement project aimed to improve mobility practices in a pediatric intensive care unit.
Method:
Three interventions were implemented: a staff-developed mobility progression guideline (including patient mobility phase identification using animal images), physical therapy (PT), and occupational therapy (OT) referrals for all patients with expected hospitalizations of more than 3 days, and the use of activity goal posters. The frequency of mobility activities performed, the number of PT and OT referrals and nurses' confidence in mobilizing patients were compared before and after project implementation.
Results:
Improvements occurred in the median number of daily mobility activities per patient encounter (1.5-4.0), number of PT and OT referrals (43% and 61% increase, respectively), and nurses' confidence in mobilizing patients (69% of clinical nurses agreed their confidence in mobilizing patients improved after protocol implementation).
Discussion:
Implementation of an interprofessional mobility quality improvement project improved mobility practices in the pediatric intensive care unit.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed....
01:26Flail Chest-II
Assessment:
1. Clinical Evaluation:
History:
01:30Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-V: Nursing Management
Assessment