Early Mobility During COVID-19. Perspectives from Industry Leaders Around the World

COVID-19 has dominated the healthcare industry since its emergence in December 2019. In some facilities, intensive care unit (ICU) capacities have been exceeded and even in areas where they have not, hospitals and healthcare systems have struggled to adjust to accommodate the requirements of this public health pandemic. This includes reassigning workflow, patient isolation, managing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), minimizing the number of caregivers exposed to infected patients and managing challenges with discharge disposition in efforts to reduce exposure in post-acute care environments. The focus has been on which care elements are considered essential services . The harms of immobility and essential benefits of early mobility have been well-established prior to the health pandemic, including reduced delirium and improved cognition, improved strength and function at discharge, decreased length of hospital stay, higher likelihood of discharge home, and reduced risk of readmission. The gold standard prior to the pandemic was the ABCDEF bundle, (A=Assess and manage pain, B=Both spontaneous wakening and breathing trials, C= Choice of medication, D=Delirium assessment and treatment, E= Early Mobility and F=Family Involvement in care). This perspectives article aims to share observations from leading experts around the world regarding early mobility and family involvement, and the impact the pandemic has had on this important treatment intervention.

Arnold M

Keywords: early mobility, COVID-19, international