A Comprehensive Review Of Hospital-Wide Early Mobility Protocols In Saudi Arabia: A Blueprint For Interdepartmental Collaboration To Reduce Patient Deconditioning
Published 2024-05-15
Keywords
- Early mobility protocols, patient deconditioning, interdepartmental collaboration, intensive care units, Saudi Arabia, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, ICU-acquired weakness, Vision 2030
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Early mobility (EM) guidelines on a hospital-wide scale are essential in avoiding patient deconditioning, which is typified by muscle atrophy, worsening of functional ability, and extended hospitalization because of immobility. EM has been implemented in intensive care units (ICUs) in Saudi Arabia, with the benefits of this intervention being a decrease in delirium, a reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation, and better functional outcomes (Alshahrani et al., 2022; Alqahtani et al., 2021). It is a review of evidence regarding EM prevalence, which indicates that in the case of ICUs of mechanically ventilated patients, the absence of protocols (55%), insufficient training (64% untrained staff), and resource constraints (Alshahrani et al., 2022; Al Harbi, 2024) lead to prevalence rates of about 47%. Hospital-wide expansion requires interdepartmental cooperation of nursing, physiotherapy, respiratory therapy, and other fields. The review suggests a multidisciplinary roadmap comprising of standardized protocols, training, and resource distribution to facilitate Vision 2030 healthcare goals with reduced instances of deconditioning complications and equity.