Early Mobility Best Practices: Evidence and Barriers
Presented by Ellen Hillegass
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Nonfinancial: Ellen Hillegass is a volunteer with the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary PT of the APTA. She has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
This course was developed to help the clinician working with complex patients, mostly those who are found in the ICU and who would do worse if left on bed rest. Bed rest and inactivity have their own set of problems that prevent functional improvement in a timely manner after a serious illness. Therefore, early mobility is described in great detail in this course, including the history; the team and their roles; the who, what, where, when, why, and how of early mobility; and the evidence and barriers to mobility. This course is appropriate for all members of the mobility team, including PTs, PTAs, OTs, speech therapists, respiratory therapists, and nurses.
Meet your instructor
Ellen Hillegass
Dr. Ellen Hillegass is a physical therapist with APTA board certification in the cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialty. She is currently a professor on the core faculty at South College Knoxville and South College Atlanta and is an adjunct professor at Mercer University in Atlanta in the department of physical…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Defining Early Mobility, Including the History and the Problems
This chapter will define the history of the ICU and early mobility as well as the team and their roles. The who, what, where, when, why, and how of early mobility will be discussed. The effects of bed rest and inactivity will be introduced, and the chapter will conclude by examining the problems with early mobility.
2. What Is the Evidence on Early Mobility?
This chapter reviews the best evidence regarding early mobility, starting with defining the ABCDEF bundle. The evidence on safety, benefits, and dosage of early mobility will be discussed, as well as the evidence on critical care weakness. Finally, the evidence on the problems of post–intensive care syndrome (PICS) will be presented to show the outcomes of ICU and the continued need for rehabilitation.
3. What Are the Barriers to Early Mobility?
This chapter discusses the barriers to early mobility and provides potential solutions.
