Early mobilisation in Windhoek intensive care units: Practices, attitudes and barriers.
Ilse du Plessis, Savarna Francis, Brenda Morrow
PMID 39968025WHAT IT FOUND
Windhoek ICU staff rated early mobilisation important (76.9%), yet 83.8% said doctor referral was required, 48.7% lacked a mobility protocol, and 51.3% said there was no mobility champion.
Only 42 of 174 surveys were returned.
Key findings
01Most ICU staff considered early mobilisation very important (76.9%), but 64.1% reported patients were not automatically assessed for mobilisation and 83.8% said a doctor's referral was required.
02Reported barriers included needing a doctor's referral (64.7%), no written protocol (47.1%), medical instability (72.7%), excessive sedation (54.5%), and safety concerns or slow recognition of readiness (77.8% each).
03Participants' knowledge was limited: 48.6% were familiar with EM literature, and only 15.8% selected the correct ICU-acquired weakness incidence of more than 40%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 42 of 174 surveys were returned (24.1%), and the authors called the study underpowered, so the findings may not represent all ICU staff. The sample came from two Windhoek ICUs, so it cannot be generalised to other ICUs in or beyond Windhoek. The paper reports 42 returned surveys but the participant table shows 39 demographic responses, so the analysed sample is unclear. Answers were self-reported and may reflect what clinicians said they would do, not actual patient records. The cross-sectional survey cannot show that the reported barriers caused low mobilisation. Incomplete responses were included as unanswered and missing data used available case analysis, so percentages may have different denominators.
Declared interests
The supplied text states the research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. No conflicts of interest are stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that early mobilisation improves ICU outcomes. It is a survey of clinician reports, with 42 of 174 surveys returned, and it did not test whether mobilisation changes patient outcomes.