Follow the Blue Feet: Nurse Implemented Postoperative MOBILITY Program.

Abstract

To establish the effectiveness of a nurse-led postoperative MOBILITY program implemented on the Burn/Surgical/Trauma unit at our facility to increase documentation of patient mobility and to develop nurse and patient understanding of the importance of movement in postoperative recovery while increasing patient satisfaction with mobility. The MOBILITY program was implemented on a 24-bed Burn/Surgical/Trauma unit. Lewin's Change Theory guided the development of the program, while the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice for Quality Care was the framework for the project. Nursing staff (n = 20) on the Burn/Trauma unit completed pre/postimplementation MOBILITY surveys. Pre/postimplementation MOBILITY patient (n = 9) satisfaction questionnaires were completed by postoperative patients. Retrospective chart (n = 10) audits were performed pre/postimplementation. Included in the chart audits and patient satisfaction surveys were patients 72 hours or less postoperatively without lower limb weight-bearing restrictions. Those excluded were patients on complete bed rest, or those with bilateral or unilateral nonweight-bearing orders. Documentation of mobility improved by 233.3%, while ambulation distance documentation increased by 700%. Mobility orders entered by the medical team rose by 66.7% postintervention. Nurses' comfort level with assessing mobility improved by 38.5%. Knowledge of where to document patient postoperative mobility improved by 80%. Postintervention patient satisfaction with postoperative mobility saw a 60% change. Patients performing postoperative mobility increased by 80%. Implementation of a nurse-led postoperative MOBILITY program on a Burn/Surgical/Trauma unit showed a marked increase in nurse and patient understanding of postoperative mobility, patient satisfaction with postoperative mobility, and nursing documentation of patient mobility.