A checklist-based survey for early mobilization of stroke unit patients in an Italian region

Background: Although early mobilization (EM) is recommended by most guidelines in acute stroke patients, there is a paucity of tools to perform a standardized patient risk assessment prior to EM in stroke units (SUs).

Objective: This survey aimed at assessing (1) the usefulness of an ad hoc checklist for a standardized approach to EM in SUs and (2) the relationship between EM achieved by this checklist and SU characteristics.

Methods: This survey was carried out in 10 SUs in Piedmont, Italy. The EM checklist was based on 15 "items", including quantitative/qualitative, clinical and management features.

Results: A total of 250 completed checklists were assessed. EM, defined as out-of-bed activity within 72 h of admission, was reached by 174 patients (69.6%), according to the checklist. There was a statistically significant association between the admission NIHSS score and EM. Hypotension at mobilization was observed in 29/250 patients (11.6%) and was significantly associated with EM. A total of 6 falls (2.4%) were reported. Nurses were most frequently involved in EM, either alone (40.8%) or with another professional.

Conclusion: A large percentage of acute stroke patients managed to achieve a safe EM in the SUs that adopted the novel checklist. These results suggest that this checklist may well be a user-friendly, reliable tool to assist SU professionals in deciding whether to mobilize or not, by means of a standardized approach.