Cardiovascular patients do not get to move in an optimal fashion in a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CICU). We set up our early mobility program to give nurses the authority to assess their patients who would ordinarily get little opportunity for movement, and to safely implement the program.

Their immobility is due to several factors, including fears associated with patient mobility and the perception of the time involved for nursing teams, among other reasons. This program is intended for post-cardiac surgery patients as well as those who have had a heart attack or suffer from arrhythmia or heart failure. At the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montréal, we created a comprehensive program consisting of a grid that evaluates patients’ functional mobility (filled in by nurses) and prescribed movements for each level (0–5). The program encourages families to participate in their loved one’s care. Bilingual brochures and videos also accompany each level.

In 2018, after working for a year to develop the program with a multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, patient partners and nurses of all levels, we launched it as a pilot project, and we were able to implement it in other hospitals in early 2020. We also published several articles and presented the project at several conferences. The program has also been recognized as an official patient mobilization program by the Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses.

Project submitted by Diana Dima, SNP (Nurse) Workforce Manager

Other contributors: Diana Dima, SNP Workforce Manager; Dr. Michael Goldfarb, Cardiologist; Joëlle Bérubé-Dufour, OT; Julie Valiquette, Physiotherapist; and John Marsala, Nursing Unit Head