The term progressive mobility is defined as a series of planned movements in a sequential manner beginning at a patient’s current mobility status with a goal of returning to his/her baseline (©Advancing Nursing LLC). Progressive mobility is the term used to describe the graded application of the following positioning and mobility techniques: elevation of the head of the bed, manual turning, passive and active range-of-motion exercises, continuous lateral rotation therapy (CLRT) and prone positioning (if criteria met), movement against gravity, upright/leg-down position (tilt table and bed egress), chair position, dangling, and ambulation.

A meta-analysis1 of 39 randomized trials examining the effect of bed rest on 15 different medical conditions and procedures showed that bed rest was not beneficial and may be associated with harm. The short-term adverse outcomes for critically ill patients include ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and hospital-acquired pneumonia, delayed weaning off of mechanical ventilation due to muscle weakness,...

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