Informed Perceptions of Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Concerning Nurse-Led Mobility Among Hospitalized Patients: An Evidence-Based Practice Project​ ​

Extended periods of bedrest among hospitalized patients are associated with functional decline and reduced mobilities. Data from a community based acute care hospital indicated there was a need to promote nurse-led mobilities, such as getting out of bed, ambulating about the room, sitting in a chair, and performing active or passive range of motion exercises among their patients. Lewin’s Force Field theory of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing provided the conceptual guidance to an evidence-based practice project which investigated the effectiveness of introducing a poster-style presentation to unfreeze the barriers associated with the anticipated changes in care. The Iowa Model-Revised and the Knowledge-To-Action framework provided methodologies to collaboratively plan and implement the project. The Johns Hopkins Patient Mobilization Attitudes and Beliefs Survey was administered in a pre-posttest design to assess initial and outcome perceptions regarding the barriers and facilitators to mobility promotion and their potential impact on the sustainability of any proposed practice changes. The pre-survey responses allowed the project team to ascertain the education programming needs necessary to inform nursing staff’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior barriers to overcome. As a result of those initial survey responses, the team presented a poster-style presentation of strategies to inform the nursing staff's knowledge, attitudes, and behavior during the poster-style presentation. After completing the poster-style presentation, findings from the evaluation revealed that the staff had improved overall perceptions of mobility promotion barriers, with improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.