Abstract
To implement a patient-specific mobilization strategy aligned with functional capacity, aiming to improve mobility, reduce functional decline, and lower fall-with-injury rates across 21 medical centers in the Northern California region of Kaiser Permanente.
This project addresses a critical gap in hospital care by replacing generic mobility goals with individualized plans, improving patient safety and functional outcomes. It aligns with the conference’s focus on innovation and evidence-based practice by demonstrating how tailored interventions can reduce harm and enhance interdisciplinary care delivery.
A real-time dashboard was implemented to operationalize patient-specific mobility goals. Nurses enter the Current Level of Function (CLOF) by 10:00 AM daily, which automatically calculates the mobility goal and assigns one of six levels ranging from bed activity to walking. The dashboard displays patient progress and unit-level performance, highlighting improvement opportunities such as missing CLOF documentation or low mobility relative to CLOF. Rules incorporate time-on-unit expectations, exclusions, and CLOF-based scoring. Implementation used iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles with staff education, workflow refinement, and continuous feedback to optimize compliance and usability.
Following implementation, daily CLOF assessment completion increased from 63% to 94%, reflecting improved nursing workflow integration. The percentage of patients mobilized to their individualized goal rose from 48% to 79%, indicating enhanced adherence to mobility plans. Fall with injury rates showed a downward trend, with the Falls Observed-to-Expected (O/E) ratio consistently below the 0.70 target since March 2024. These outcomes demonstrate that a real-time, data-driven mobilization dashboard can improve clinical practice, enhance patient safety, and support sustained performance improvement across inpatient settings.
Notes
References:
Schafthuizen, L., van Dijk, M., van Rosmalen, J., & Ista, E. (2024). Mobility level and factors affecting mobility status in hospitalized patients admitted in single-occupancy patient rooms. BMC Nursing, 23(11
Mani, H., Möri, C., Mattmann, M., et al. (2022). Barriers and facilitators to mobility of patients hospitalised on an acute medical ward: A systematic review. Age and Ageing, 51(7), afac159.
Krupp, A. E., Tan, A., Vasilevskis, E. E., et al. (2024). Patient, practice, and organizational factors associated with early mobility performance in critically ill adults. American Journal of Critical Care, 33(5), 324–333.
Nassar, B., Ejheisheh, M. A., Aqtam, I., et al. (2025). Factors affecting early mobilization among critically ill patients in Southern West Bank Hospitals. PLOS One, 20(6), e0325457.
George, R. E., Halaguena, A. M., Martin, T. M., et al. (2024). Improving patient mobility on an acute medical surgical unit. Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Acute Care, Functional Status, Functional Decline, Accidental Falls, Patient Safety, Hospital Care, Patient Mobility, Physical Mobility
Recommended Citation
Amen, Samantha Michelle and Paras, Pearl, "Patient-Specific Mobilization to Prevent Functional Decline and Falls" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 20.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/20
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-23
Patient-Specific Mobilization to Prevent Functional Decline and Falls
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
To implement a patient-specific mobilization strategy aligned with functional capacity, aiming to improve mobility, reduce functional decline, and lower fall-with-injury rates across 21 medical centers in the Northern California region of Kaiser Permanente.
This project addresses a critical gap in hospital care by replacing generic mobility goals with individualized plans, improving patient safety and functional outcomes. It aligns with the conference’s focus on innovation and evidence-based practice by demonstrating how tailored interventions can reduce harm and enhance interdisciplinary care delivery.
A real-time dashboard was implemented to operationalize patient-specific mobility goals. Nurses enter the Current Level of Function (CLOF) by 10:00 AM daily, which automatically calculates the mobility goal and assigns one of six levels ranging from bed activity to walking. The dashboard displays patient progress and unit-level performance, highlighting improvement opportunities such as missing CLOF documentation or low mobility relative to CLOF. Rules incorporate time-on-unit expectations, exclusions, and CLOF-based scoring. Implementation used iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles with staff education, workflow refinement, and continuous feedback to optimize compliance and usability.
Following implementation, daily CLOF assessment completion increased from 63% to 94%, reflecting improved nursing workflow integration. The percentage of patients mobilized to their individualized goal rose from 48% to 79%, indicating enhanced adherence to mobility plans. Fall with injury rates showed a downward trend, with the Falls Observed-to-Expected (O/E) ratio consistently below the 0.70 target since March 2024. These outcomes demonstrate that a real-time, data-driven mobilization dashboard can improve clinical practice, enhance patient safety, and support sustained performance improvement across inpatient settings.
Description
Daily CLOF-driven mobility goals improved assessment compliance, increased patient mobilization, and contributed to a sustained reduction in fall with injury rates. This data-informed approach empowers nurses to deliver safer, more personalized care and supports real-time performance improvement.