Corona Update: SURGE CAPACITY SOLUTIONS – The mobi is a mobile headwall (equipment consolidator) that can be set up in any space that has an electrical outlet: next to a chair, a bed, a cot in a hallway, a cafeteria, or anywhere patients need to be located. Click here for more information.

Tag: Livengood Medical

Solutions for Early Patient Mobility

Posted on by Steve Villanueva

Early Patient Ambulation: What Works Best

Solutions for early patient mobility. As far back as 1949, Dr. D.J. Leithauser wrote that: Ten years ago early ambulation was considered a “crackpot” idea. Today it is recognized and is rapidly approaching a “must” procedure following surgical operation. Seventy years later, Doctors, nurses, and administrators all agree that early patient mobility has tremendously beneficial outcomes, but making sure that early mobility happens requires resources, education, organization, and strategic coordination. How have hospitals and units successfully improved their early patient mobility rates?  The simplest answer is to increase staff numbers, but there are a variety of more cost-effective measures that have helped to dramatically improve early mobility outcomes.

Key Facts:

Improve Mobility: Equipment, Patient Awareness, Staff Efficiency, & Hospital Culture

Steps can be taken to improve efficient implementation of early mobility on all four fronts:

EQUIPMENT

  • It is important for hospitals to prioritize interventions that allow patient ambulation with less staff involvement. (Murphy 2011)
  • The use of an ambulation platform improves the number of ambulation attempts, distance of ambulation, and willingness of patients to attempt ambulation (assisted and unassisted), without increased risk of falls. (Henecke 2015)
  • The use of an IV pole walker improves both patient and nurse satisfaction during early patient mobilization of post-surgical patients. (Nesbitt 2012)

PATIENT AWARENESS & EDUCATION

  • The benefits of early mobility include better coordination and balance, as well as greater patient independence. (Morris 2010)
  • When patients are informed about the benefits of early ambulation before undergoing surgery, patients become more proactive about seeking opportunities for early mobilization after surgery. (Kibler 2012)

STAFF EFFECIENCY

  • Patients who have access to an ambulation platform have improved mobility outcomes and improved length of stay with fewer nurses and other staff required to implement ambulation. Nurses report that ambulation with an apparatus is easier for both staff and patients. (Henecke 2015)
  • Nurses report that early mobilization improves patient independence and preserves patient dignity, which reduces the number of patient requests for assistance and decreases staff workload. (Hoyer 2015)

MOBILITY AS A HOSPITAL CULTURE

  • Hospital-wide protocols and multidisciplinary teams dedicated to coordinating early mobility activities are important for improving ICU pediatric patient outcomes. (Piva 2019)
  • Unit culture (established goals and protocols, coordinated effort) is a critical factor that determines whether nurses will implement patient mobility to the full extent of each nurse’s training and ability. (Krupp 2019)
  • Incorporating early mobilization goals and achievements in electronic health records improves early mobilization coordination and improves early mobilization outcomes. The time required to achieve mobilization and the average length of stay decreased significantly, and the average patient ventilation time was decreased by 27 hours. (Anderson 2018)

Click here for full article

Learn more about Livengood Medical Mobi Solutions.

Improving Patient Outcomes and COVID-19

Posted on by Steve Villanueva

Early Mobility & COVID-19

IMPROVING PATIENT OUTCOMES

Improving patient outcomes and COVID-19. Covid-19 primarily attacks the lungs, and, although the virus itself is new, doctors are relying heavily on standard respiratory treatments (including early mobility) for the alleviation of COVID-19 symptoms (WHO 2020). In the initial surge and amid the attempts to quarantine, early mobilization of COVID-19 patients was impossible to implement, but it has long been established that early mobilization of patients with severe respiratory infections activates the body’s own defenses, shortens length of stay, and significantly improves both short-and long-term patient outcomes.

The benefits of early mobilization for improving patient outcomes has been particularly well-documented for geriatric patients, who are at highest risk from COVID-19, and pediatric patients, who represent an increasingly significant percentage of COVID-19 patients. Now that there are dedicated COVID-19 wards and facilities, mobilization within a quarantined area is increasingly feasible and offers an immediate, proven, cost-saving option for saving lives and minimizing the burden for hospital staff.

See the full article here.

Beneficial Reading

Management of Acute Respiratory Infection

Early Mobility and Pneumonia

Learn more about Livengood Medical solutions here.

Saving Lives & Reducing Costs

Posted on by Steve Villanueva

Early Mobility & COVID-19

Saving Lives & Reducing Hospital Costs

Saving lives & Reducing Costs. Since the rise of COVID-19, hospitals have been placed under enormous strain, trying to balance patient care with staff safety and best-practice protocols with financial survival. Now that COVID-19 is part of the new “normal,” and quarantine facilities and wards have been established on an ongoing basis, it is time to reassess the long-term health of the hospitals themselves, particularly in terms of financial sustainability.

The benefits of early mobilization protocols for respiratory illness are already well-known. For patients with community-acquired pneumonia, early mobilization (at least 20 minutes out of bed within 24 hours) can significantly reduce hospitalization time by an average of 1.5 days without increasing the risk of re-hospitalization.

Click here for full article.

Beneficial Reading

Early Mobilization and Rehabilitation in the ICU

Mobilization of Mechanically Ventilated Patients

Learn more about Livengood Medical solutions here.

Early Mobility-Length of Stay

Posted on by Sean Bryant

Early Mobility and Length of Stay

Helping Hospitals Reduce Costs

Early mobility-length of stay. For hospitals, especially ICUs, reducing patient length of stay results in dramatic cost savings for both the individual patient and the hospital itself. Surveys done in both ICUs and across different units universally found that early mobilization dramatically contributed to improved patient turnover, improved patient outcomes, and millions of dollars in savings for the hospital.

Key Facts:

  • When nurses and rehabilitation therapists were able to increase mobility by approximately 1 hour per ICU patient (for patients on ventilators and patients who were not), the average ICU length of stay decreased by almost 20%, floor bed average length of stay lowered by almost 40%, and twice as many patients were discharged without home services. Average cost per day in the ICU and floor bed decreased, resulting in an annualized net cost savings of $1.5 million. (Corcoran 2017)
  • Danish hospitals recently performed a comprehensive national cost-savings survey and found that conforming to best-practice protocols reduced hospital costs by reducing patient length of stay and the need for secondary treatment; early mobilization resulted in one of the largest adjusted cost differences ($3,300 per patient). (Kristensen 2019)
  • One hospital introduced a systematic schedule for their pediatric unit and found that patients experienced: shorter periods of bed rest, reduced pressure sores, fewer falls, decreased length of stay, improved family satisfaction, and improved staff satisfaction. Overall, early mobilization resulted in cost savings for both the patient and hospital. (Letzkus 2013)
  • A study conducted at a community acute care hospital found that patients who received mobility intervention had fewer falls, ventilator-associated events, pressure ulcers, CAUTIs, delirium days. They also had lower sedation levels, improved functional independence, and lower hospital costs. (Fraser, 2015)
  • A comprehensive review of studies regarding post-operative knee surgery found that early mobilization (“fast-track rehabilitation”) resulted in shortened hospital stays and significant cost saving. (Quack 2015)
  • For patients hospitalized with Parkinson’s Disease, early mobilization is critical for improving both cost savings and improve outcomes. (Aminoff 2010)
  • Patients who achieved full mobilization within four days of coronary bypass surgery were able to be safely discharged from the hospital, without increased health risks, maximizing hospital resources and reducing hospital costs by over $900/patient. (Loubani 2000)

Click her for full article.

Beneficial Reading

Implementation of an Early Mobility Program

Early Discharge after Coronary Bypass Surgery

Learn more about Livengood Medical solutions here.

See the mobigo here

See the mobilite here

See the mobikidz here

Livengood Helps to Streamline Early Mobility Post Stem Cell Replacement

Posted on by Philip Crumpton

On a recent trip to Arizona I met Woody, a patient at the Banner Gateway/ MD Anderson hospital. Woody is a 72 year old, retired long distance truck driver who has been battling leukemia for over a year. When we met, Woody had already been in the Oncology ICU for over a week after undergoing stem cell transplant, and he was quite frustrated. Whenever he wanted to get up and walk he had to put on his call light, wait for staff who then had to get his walker and get an extra helper to pull along his IV pole and oxygen caddy while he ambulated. He often waited for up to thirty minutes and sometimes by the time enough staff was available he had “run out of steam.” Woody trialed the LIVENGOOD mobi for five days and by the second day he was deemed safe to be up walking independently with the mobi. He would unplug the mobi cord from the wall and he was good to go. He would often do 5 laps around the unit with his iPAD on the mobi playing music while he walked. Having a handy place to plug in his iPAD meant a lot to him and hearing the upbeat music made him, and everyone around him smile. Woody would stop any nurse who was available and tell them all about the mobi and how great it felt to be independent.

The mobi is designed to simplify ambulation by keeping all of the patient’s equipment with them wherever they go. The increase in mobility ease and efficiency makes the hospital experience significantly better for both patient and staff. Everything changed after Woody had his hands on the mobi.

It is no secret patient mobility is tied to results. A Johns Hopkins study found that early mobility in the ICU vastly improves patient outcomes and can save hospitals up to $1,300 per patient by decreasing their stay up to 22 percent.

The fact is, it is impossible for staff to meet the mobility needs of every patient, so tools like the LIVENGOOD mobi prove invaluable in increasing the frequency of mobilization; increasing patient mobility and decreasing length of stay; increasing staff efficiency and patient satisfaction, and helping hospitals save money.

June issue of JONA – Journal Of Nursing Administration

Posted on by Philip Crumpton

June Issue of JONA

Journal of Nursing Administration

Livengood Mobility Solutions Highlighted in JONA – Journal of Nursing Administration

June issue of JONA. We are pleased to announce that LIVENGOOD is highlighted in an article published in the June 2015 issue of JONA (The Journal of Nursing Administration). The article titled “Use of an Ambulation Platform Apparatus” addresses our joint study done with Medical Center of the Rockies discussing how The mobi reduced LOS and the number of Care Givers needed in each mobility event. We are very excited to be part of the solution for mobilizing patients.

Ambulation has proven to be an important part of recovery for medical-surgical patients. This study provides original research on the use of a platform apparatus for ambulation of patients on a medical-surgical unit. Outcomes included number of ambulation attempts, distance of ambulation, length of hospital stay, number of staff necessary to ambulate, and discharge destination. Compared with a control group, patients who had access to the ambulation platform apparatus had a shorter length of stay with fewer nurses and other staff needed to ambulate. Staff rated ambulation with the apparatus as easier than without and noted that patients were more willing to ambulate on their own with the ambulation platform apparatus.

Here is the link to the abstract.

Here is the link to the full study

See the mobigo here

See the mobilite here

See the mobikidz here

June JONA

Posted on by Philip Crumpton

June JONA.

2015 Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA)

June Jona. We are pleased to announce that LIVENGOOD will be highlighted in an article being published in the June 2015 issue of JONA (The Journal of Nursing Administration). The article titled “Use of an Ambulation Platform Apparatus” addresses our joint study done with Medical Center of the Rockies discussing how The mobi reduced LOS and the number of Care Givers needed in each mobility event. We are very excited to be part of the solution for mobilizing patients.

Ambulation has proven to be an important part of recovery for medical-surgical patients. This study provides original research on the use of a platform apparatus for ambulation of patients on a medical-surgical unit. Outcomes included number of ambulation attempts, distance of ambulation, length of hospital stay, number of staff necessary to ambulate, and discharge destination. Compared with a control group, patients who had access to the ambulation platform apparatus had a shorter length of stay with fewer nurses and other staff needed to ambulate. Staff rated ambulation with the apparatus as easier than without and noted that patients were more willing to ambulate on their own with the ambulation platform apparatus.

Updated Information

Here is the link to the abstract.

Here is the link to the full study

See the mobigo here

See the mobilite here

See the mobikidz here

What Customers Say

Testimonials

“6 months ago we implemented 12 mobis into our early mobility program. We have a very diverse population on our ICU and having the option of mobilizing them in a way that is helpful and assistive to staff while instilling confidence in the patient and family is great. We’re still working to figure out our ideal workflow but it’s given us concrete examples of how even our sicker vented patients can get mobilized safely and efficiently.”

Mark Rohlfing
RN, BSN Clinical Operations Manager Intensive Care Unit
Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital - Muncie, IN

“After completing a research study with the LIVENGOOD mobi on our post trauma/surgical floor, I realized its potential to decrease length of stay, help with staff efficiency and empower patients to be independent.”

Lorrie Henecke
MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CNRN Clinical Nurse Specialist
Medical Center of the Rockies, Loveland, CO

“We are so excited that the mobi helped us ambulate our very first vented patient.”

Esther Vandermeulen
R.N.
University Health System - San Antonio, TX

“The LIVENGOOD mobi is very user friendly, safe and a great solution to use minimal staff and be able to contain all of the patient’s equipment.”

Michael Saccone
P.T.
Saint Joseph's Hospital - Syracuse, NY

“I think the LIVENGOOD mobi will revolutionize the way we mobilize patients in the ICU. I saw patients mobilize sooner and with less anxiety with the mobi. One young patient was even able to walk outside with the mobi and her portable vent. Having the mobi made mobility a real team effort, not just a P.T. activity.”

Terra Terwilliger
PT, DPT - Adult Inpatient Physical Therapist
Rehab Services University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Health System

“The LIVENGOOD platform allows my patients to be active and independent without attention being diverted to multiple lines, an oxygen tank, and other medically necessary devices. It allows patients to have hope and a sense of “normalcy”, which so often is lost after trauma or surgery.”

Jessica Gilbert
DPT
Staff Physical Therapist - Medical Center of The Rockies -Loveland, CO

“Six years ago I was introduced to the LIVENGOOD mobi. This piece of equipment has been life changing for my patients. I am now able to consolidate all of the patient’s medical devices onto an easy to push mobile platform, therefore freeing up both of my hands to safely assist my patient.”

Tanya Kensley
P.T.
Poudre Valley Hospital -Fort Collins, CO

“Mobility is Life, the mobi platform will help patients move again.”

Blas Villa
CCRN
University Health System - San Antonio, TX

“I was at NTI in Boston (2013) and, during the exhibit portion, I wandered across the LIVENGOOD booth. At that moment, I knew our hospital needed this mobi for our open heart recovery program. I worked with a Clinical Nurse Specialist to write a grant for this product. I am so excited to bring the mobi to our program.”

Celina Adams
RN, MSN, CCRN (CVICU)
John C. Lincoln - Phoenix, AZ

“We walked a vented patient with the mobi and it was awesome! This helped her physically and emotionally.”

Natalie Hariel
R.N.
Tulane Medical Center - New Orleans, LA

“I am a nurse in a cardiovascular ICU… Our goal for patients is to ambulate to the chair 2 hours after extubation, often the evening of surgery day. Our patients are up and walking with central venous catheters, swan ganz catheters, chest tubes, foley catheters, and with IV medications infusing. The ambulation of these patients would not be possible without the mobi walker. Every bit of equipment that these patients need can be carried on the walker while providing the stability of a standard walker… It is an essential piece of equipment for us and we couldn’t provide the care and therapies we do without it.”

Katherine Whitfield
RN CCRN
Athens Regional Medical Center - Athens, GA

Contact Us Now to Talk to a

Mobi Ambulation Specialist

Call Us
+1 (970) 797-4938
Locate Us
1001-A East Harmony Rd.
#502
Fort Collins, Co 80525
United States
Email Us

mobi Patient Mobility

sales@livengoodmed.com
Find Us