E Is for Early Mobility and Improved Patient Outcomes

Early mobility interventions for critical care patients have proven benefits, including improved physical function, delirium prevention, decreased need for mechanical ventilation, and shortened stays in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital. Unfortunately, the adoption and implementation of early mobility practices vary widely across critical care units. Patients who are receiving mechanical ventilation, are in physical restraints, are receiving benzodiazepines, require frequent pain assessments, or who experience deep sedation or delirium are less likely to receive next-day early mobility interventions. Conversely, patients with documented sedation target levels and who undergo spontaneous awakening trials/spontaneous breathing trials, early mobility safety screenings, prior-day physical therapy or occupational therapy sessions, or more frequent delirium assessments are more likely to receive early mobilization interventions.Disparities in early mobility practices have been identified. In their article, Anna E. Krupp and colleagues report that Black and Hispanic patients had lower likelihoods of receiving next-day mobility when compared with other patients, emphasizing the need to address these inequities in care and potential patient outcomes.