Increasing Mobility On Unit To Decrease Length Of Stay

Project Topic:

Mobility Implemented on Unit

Hospital, City and State:

Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Unit:

• North 6

CSI Participants:

• Courtney Callow, BSN, RN
• Lindsay Farland, MSN, RN
• Denise Ford, MSN, RN
• Stefanie Hoeg BSN, RN,
• Coach: Diane Peterson, MSN, RN, FNP-C

Project Goals/Objectives:

1. Increase Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT) Appropriate Staffing score 7.14% (from 4.2 to 4.5)
2. Decrease the North 6 Geometric Length of Stay (GMLOS) gap 10%

Project Outcomes:

1. Increased HWEAT score for Appropriate Staffing 13.3% (from 4.2 to 4.76)
2. Decreased the North 6 Geometric Length of Stay (GMLOS) gap from 2.31 pre implementation to 1.75 post implementation which is a 24% reduction surpassing our goal
3. Increased HWEAT aggregate score and all HWE standard scores.
4. These outcomes resulted in a positive estimated annual fiscal impact of $424,760

Project Overview:

The problem identified in the unit was that patients are unable to mobilize early and frequently (3-5 times daily) due to nursing workload, patient acuity, and insufficient support staff. This could contribute to an increase in hospital length of stay (LOS) and reduce nursing satisfaction with staffing adequacy. The purpose of this project is to get patients moving during their hospitalization, which in turn will decrease their LOS and increase the amount of time nurses have to focus on other nursing tasks and care. The new role of a mobility tech was implemented, which has helped nurses provide optimal care by increasing support staff and promoting a healthy work environment.