Beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of cardiovascular healthcare providers on mobilization.

AIM

To assess the beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of nurses, physicians and physiotherapists in a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU) on patient mobilization.

DESIGN

Survey of CV healthcare providers in the CICU at two academic tertiary care hospitals.

METHODS

The validated Patient Mobilization Attitudes and Beliefs Survey was distributed to CV providers. The survey is a 26-item self-administered questionnaire that assesses providers' perceived barriers in three domains: attitude, behaviour and knowledge.

RESULTS

Participants (N = 142) completed the survey (nurses, N = 67, physicians, N = 59 and physiotherapists, N = 16; 155 eligible participants, 91.6% overall completion rate). Nurses had lower overall knowledge, attitude and behaviour barriers to mobilization than physicians, but higher than physiotherapists (all p < .001). The highest barriers to mobilization for nurses were adequate staffing, patient-level and time restraint. These findings should inform efforts to overcome existing barriers and to transform acute cardiovascular mobility culture.