Evaluating the Impact of the Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool (BMAT) on Nursing Staff Confidence in Patient Mobilization: A Pre and Post Implementation Study

Objective: Hospitalized patients are at high risk for functional decline due to immobility. Despite the benefits of early mobility, consistent assessment and promotion of mobility remain challenging, partly due to low nursing confidence. The Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool (BMAT) has shown promise in addressing these issues. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of BMAT education and unit-wide implementation on nursing staff confidence in assessing patient mobility among adult inpatients on an acute care unit at a level one trauma center in Seattle, Washington. Methods: This quality improvement project included BMAT education (a one-hour Zoom session on BMAT use and early mobility benefits, in-service huddles, flyers summarizing key points, and bedside signage to support clinical use) and surveys measuring nursing staff’s confidence in mobility assessment at pre-education, two weeks post-education, and one-month post-education. Descriptive statistics were conducted to assess changes in confidence. Results: Thirty-seven nurses completed the pre-education survey, 16 completed the two-week post-survey, and 20 completed the one-month post-survey. The most common range of nursing experience at pre-education, two-week post education, and one-month post education was 2-3 years [n=12 (31.6%)], 2-3 years [n=8 (50%)], and 5+ years [n=9 (45%)], respectively. Mean confidence level increased by 12.8% at two weeks and 12.6% at one-month post-education. Conclusion: BMAT education had a practical impact in increasing nurses’ confidence level. Future studies should explore broader implementation to assess its effect on nursing confidence and mobility practices.