Awareness of success factors and barriers to early mobilisation of ICU patients

Despite all the evidence underlining the benefits of early mobilisation in the ICU, barriers are still common in clinical situations. Participants of two roundtable conferences were asked to identify the strengths and weaknesses of early mobilisation in four domains pre-identified by experts in the field. For successfully implementing early mobilisation, there seemed to be a need for a driving force on the ward, a patient-coordinator at the patient’s bedside, modern equipment and a good work environment. Barriers to early mobilisation are identifiable on two levels: institution-related barriers and patient-related barriers. Successful implementation requires locally adapted tailored strategies.