Overcoming nursing barriers to intensive care unit early mobilisation: A quality improvement project

Technological advancements in critical care have increased intensive care unit (ICU) survivorship. Survivors may experience functional impairment 5 –15 years after critical illness, resulting in decreased quality of life and increased use and cost of healthcare services (Herridge et al., 2011; Yosef-Brauner et al., 2015). These long-term post-ICU physical impairments are due in part to intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW). ICUAW is a syndrome of multifactorial etiology that results in impaired ventilator weaning and prolonged intensive care unit length of stay (LOS) (Desai et al., 2011; Lipshutz and Gropper, 2013).

Source: Intensive and Critical Care Nursing - February 9, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Oluwatobi O. Hunter, Elisabeth L. George, Dianxu Ren, Douglas Morgan, Margaret Rosenzweig, Patricia Klinefelter Tuite Source Type: research