Background: Stroke is one of the prevalent illness and common neurological disorder locally, regionally and globally; with fifteen million suffering from a stroke every year. Out of these, five million are deceased, and five million are forever paralyzed. For those who have experienced a stroke it is an important goal to regain functional independence. Therefore, the most relevant clinical outcomes of stroke is disability and mortality. Early mobilization after acute stroke is secure and associated with various advantages. However, early mobilization has been associated as a key fundamental of stroke treatment, with the time interval within which mobilization should be started to improve outcome after stroke. The internal data received from the local facility showed that patients with stroke spent at least 45 days in this facility to regain their functional recovery. On average, each patient receives one hour of physical therapy per day five days a week. Accepted patients in this facility have private insurance or Medicare. Medicare only covers the first 20 days of a patient’s stay with each additional day costing the patient $164.50. Evidence-Based Framework: The organizational change at the nursing home was to implement an acute stroke early mobilization education program in an attempt to reduce the length of stay, decrease readmissions, and improve functional mobility and quality of life. The Stevens Star Model of Knowledge Transformation Model and Virginia Henderson theory were used as the evidence-based practice model and the theory respectively for the development of the project. Method: The objectives of the project were: (1) to implement an early mobilization education program to abate the length of hospital stay, (2) to advance anatomic mobility, and (3) to reduce hospital readmission and immobilization complications. The objective of this scheme is to generate new knowledge to make an evidence-based positive change and to increase the staffs’ knowledge about the importance of early mobilization after acute stroke by providing education to the nurses and other healthcare providers in order the activities of daily living. Evaluation was accomplished through comparing the pre-questionnaires and post-questionnaire directly before and after the educational in-service presentation and one month’s post presentation during the implementation period of mobilization program. Data was collected using a self-developed questionnaire collection tool. The results of the project were used to demonstrate the impact of the mobilization education program. Recent literature provided evidence that early mobilization is effective in reducing hospital length of stay and decreasing disability. Findings: The implementation of an early mobilization program to a nursing education staff improved functional mobility to 87.5%, compared to 25% during the time period in the same year when early mobilization was not initiated. Conclusion/Recommendation: Based on the findings of this quailty improvement project, implementation of early mobilization education program is suggested in rehabilitation settings. Recommendations include: that an early mobilization education program should be embraced by all healthcare facilities because it minimizes/prevents complication, improves rehabilitation intervention, improves function disability and reduces hospital readmission. Areas for future study: extend study to verify the impact of early mobilization for stroke patients for a longer period of time as well compare different populations, financial benefits and costs to the facility and to the patient. An additional recommendation would be to focus on patient satisfaction rates.
