A mobility program for an inpatient acute care medical unit.

For many patients, hospitalization brings prolonged periods of bed rest, which are associated with such adverse health outcomes as increased length of stay, increased risk of falls, functional decline, and extended-care facility placement. Most studies of progressive or early mobility protocols designed to minimize these adverse effects have been geared toward specific patient populations and conducted by multidisciplinary teams in either ICUs or surgical units. Very few mobility programs have been developed for and implemented on acute care medical units.

Pod nursing on a medical/surgical unit: implementation and outcomes evaluation.

A medical/surgical unit at the University of Michigan Health System implemented a pod nursing model of care to improve efficiency and patient and staff satisfaction. One centralized station was replaced with 4 satellites and supplies were relocated next to patient rooms. Patients were assigned to 2 nurses who worked as partners.

Bedside shift-to-shift nursing report: implementation and outcomes.

One unit's staff developed and evaluated an intervention to relocate shift-to-shift nursing report to the patient's bedside. Despite challenges related to privacy, distractions, and integration of nursing technicians to the change, bedside shift report reduced shift report times and improved nursing satisfaction.