Date of Graduation

Fall 12-2017

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Abstract

Maintenance of mobility during hospitalization or stay in long-term care facility result in improved patient outcomes including but not limited to decreased incidence of falls, non-pharmacological pain intervention, and prevention of further functional decline. In a 45-bed rehabilitation unit of a Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facility, a clinical nurse leader (CNL) initiative was done to promote mobility among the patients to mitigate functional decline. The patients, also referred to as clients or residents in long-term care facilities, were aged between 20s and 90s. The resident population consisted of patients admitted for physical rehabilitation after a stroke or surgical procedure, deconditioning, respite care, skilled nursing or wound care, and younger veterans admitted for neurocognitive rehabilitation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). The CNL project consisted of process improvement and improvement of access to mobility activities through the adaption of poster-guided exercise par course. The interventions resulted to an increase in the number of residents participating in mobility/exercise activities from 76% (n=34) to 84% (n=37) of the unit population. Nursing plays a major role in patient mobility maintenance starting with mobility assessment during admission, up to the implementation of the interventions, and until discharge.

Keywords: nursing, mobility, exercise, poster-guided, par course, long-term care

Download

Share

COinS