RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Early mobilization (EM) post-stroke is recommended; however, the ideal timing and nature of EM, and factors that may influence EM practice are unclear. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to describe the type and extent of mobilization 0-48 h post-stroke admission to acute hospital care. A secondary objective was to evaluate whether pre-stroke functional level, stroke severity, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration, and level of consciousness (LOC) predicted any passive, any active, and out-of-bed mobilization (i.e. sitting at edge-of-bed, standing, or ambulation) 0-24 h post-admission. METHODS: A quantitative, cross-sectional, retrospective review of health records of patients admitted to a specialized acute stroke center in 2016 was conducted. RESULTS: Data from 296 eligible health records were abstracted. Median age was 73 years, and 87% of patients had sustained an ischemic stroke. Active, passive, and out-of-bed mobilization occurred in 91.6%, 57.1%, and 24.3% of patients by 12 h post-admission, respectively, and 99.3%, 78.4%, and 77.4% of patients by 48 h post-admission, respectively. Administration of tPA, stroke severity, and impaired LOC, were each associated with any passive mobilization, and no tPA administration, stroke severity, and normal LOC were each associated with out-of-bed mobilization 0-24 h post-admission (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Almost all patients receive active mobilization by 12 h post-admission whereas out-of-bed mobilization is infrequent. In the first 24 h post-admission, clinicians may prioritize passive over out-of-bed mobilization when patients have received tPA, present with severe stroke, and have impaired LOC. This conservative approach is unsurprising given the lack of clear practice recommendations for these situations.