Hospitalized older adults (aged ≥65 years) are at risk for functional decline and negative outcomes associated with immobility, such as pressure injuries and falls. There is a paucity of research that examines impacts of mobility interventions in older adults in medical surgical units. The current systematic review examines the impact of mobility-related interventions in this population. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided this review. Eligibility determination and data extraction, synthesis, and evaluation were independently performed by the authors. Findings revealed that older adult patients who participated in mobility protocols or early mobility programs were mobilized significantly more and were more mobile after discharge. Several studies also showed reduced hospital length of stay (LOS). The literature supports mobility programs as interventions that can have significant impacts on mobilization for medical surgical patients and reduce hospital LOS. [
Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48
(7), 24–30.]
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.