ADVER TISEMENT FEA TURE
Applying a Validated Mobility Assessment Tool for Nurses Assessing for mobility readiness in patients has often been challenging for
caregivers, due to variability in how, when, and by whom the assessment should be completed. The Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool (BMAT) is designed to help the nursing care team assess the mobility level of a patient and then recommend the most appropriate lift technology that would advance a patient’s mobility level back to their previous level of function when feasible.
Mobilising a patient early and often provides an opportunity to reduce the deconditioning effects of immobility, including musculoskeletal weakness that may impact fall rates.1
demonstrates several positive outcomes relative to the patient, the caregiver and the facility. Specifically, there has been noted a reduction in the length of stay, pressure injuries, Ventilator Associated Pneumonia, and days of delirium.2 As an assessment tool, the BMAT is divided into four unique mobility levels:
Research around early mobility
n Level one assessment is used to determine if the patient can sit upright and shake your hand. Sitting upright helps determine hemodynamic stability, and shaking your hand while crossing the mid-line helps determine upper extremity strength, as well as core strength to maintain upright positioning.
n Level two assessment is used to determine if the patient can stretch out their lower leg and pump the ankle or point and flex their toes. This activity is used to increase blood flow prior to standing and to evaluate for any generalised weakness and/or foot drop.
n Level three assessment is used to determine if the patient can stand at the bedside. Upright standing without support may place your patient and caregiver at risk of injury should the patient become weak and descend to the floor. Safely getting the patient to stand is the goal of level three and can be accomplished using a mechanical or non-mechanical sit-to- stand device to determine standing tolerance and strength.
n Level four assessment is used to determine if the patient can step or march in place and then step forward and back. Stepping in place, and close to the bedside, allows the caregiver to evaluate the patient for risk of falling prior to moving away from the safety of the bedside.
If the patient fails to perform the recommended task within the assessment at any given level, the caregiver is prompted to select the most appropriate equipment to safely perform care activities and advance the level of mobility as tolerated. For example, if the patient
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