Educating ICU Nurses to Initiate Early Mobility in ICU Patients BACKGROUND • According to a survey, many ICU nurses report feeling unprepared to assess patients for mobility interventions. 1 • There are gaps in the routine orientation for ICU nurses, causing a lack of confidence and knowledge about when and how to mobilize and items to assess during therapies. 2 • Patients on bedrest lost 5% of their muscle mass per week from lack of mobility.2 • Patients are at risk of developing ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW), ICU delirium, mental-related problems, and physical health problems3, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, muscular atrophy, length of hospital stay, and decreased functional capacity.4 METHODS This research project is patterned after the Evidence-Based Practice Change Model. 4 deliverables were created for the implementation of the project: • A pre-survey for ICU RNs • An educational PowerPoint • A mobility reference tool • A post-survey for ICU RNs Comparative analysis was used to interpret the survey results. REFERENCES 1 O’Leary, J. T., et al. (2020). Assessment of nurse preparedness for mobilizing critically ill patients: a survey study. American Journal of Critical Care, 29(2), 102-109. 2 Escalon, M. X., Lichtenstein, A. H., Posner, E., Spielman, L., Delgado, A., & Kolakowsky-Hayner, S. A. (2020). The effects of early mobilization on patients requiring extended mechanical ventilation across multiple ICUs. Critical Care Explorations, 2(6). https://doi.org/10.1097/cce.0000000000000119 3 Linke, C. A., Chapman, L. B., Berger, L. J., Kelly, T. L., Korpela, C. A., & Petty, M. G. (2020). Early mobilization in the ICU: A collaborative, integrated approach. Critical Care Explorations, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.1097/cce.0000000000000090 4 Alaparthi, G. K., Gatty, A., Samuel, S. R., & Amaravadi, S. K. (2020). Effectiveness, safety, and barriers to early mobilization in the Intensive Care Unit. Critical Care Research and Practice, 2020, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7840743 5 Charway, Isabella Ama. (2020). Improving nursing knowledge of early mobilization in the intensive care unit [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of Arizona. 6 Zhang, L., Hu, W., Cai, Z., Liu, J., Wu, J., Deng, Y., Yu, K., Chen, X., Zhu, L., Ma, J., & Qin, Y. (2019). Early mobilization of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223185 7 Schallom, M., Tymkew, H., Vyers, K., Prentice, D., Sona, C., Norris, T., & Arroyo, C. (2020). Implementation of an interdisciplinary AACN Early mobility protocol. Critical Care Nurse, 40(4). https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2020632 Madelynn Stephens BSN, RN, MSN Student JoAnn Tolman DNP-L, MSN-Ed, RN, CNE Kim Steele MSN, RN, CCRN, CNN INTERVENTIONS • Step 1: Pre-survey shared with ICU RNs with various years of experience • Step 2: ICU RNs attended an educational session with an educational PowerPoint and introduced to the early mobility reference tool • Step 3: The mobility reference tool was implemented and posted at all nursing stations, during huddle, and in a shared online drive • Step 4: ICU RNs implement the early mobility reference tool for 3 months • Step 5: Post-survey shared with all participating RNs to learn if there was an increase in nursing confidence to initiate early mobility IMPACTS • Nurses will know what patients to exclude from early mobilization, what to assess for when mobilizing their patients, and how to use the reference tool as a resource, alleviating nurses' anxiety and increasing confidence related to patient mobility.5 • Implementing early mobility protocols can lead to better patient outcomes, including reduced length of stay 2 , decreased risk of ICU-AW2, 6 and delirium 3, and improved overall recovery. • Improving nurses' confidence enhances their professional satisfaction and plays a crucial role in the overall healthcare system's ability to provide effective and compassionate care. 2,7 CONCLUSIONS ● Educating nurses is key to building their confidence and knowledge about early mobility to improve patient outcomes.2,7 ● Various studies emphasize that structured educational interventions can effectively prepare nurses to mobilize patients safely.3 ● The evidence highlights the need for straightforward education programs that explain why early mobility is important, how to assess patients, and how to use mobility reference tools.