Prospective observation of physical activity in critically ill patients who were intubated for more than 48 hours

Abstract

Purpose: Critical illness can result in impaired physical function. Increased physical activity, additional to rehabilitation, has demonstrated improved functional independence at hospital discharge. The purpose of this study was to measure patterns of physical activity in a group of critically ill patients. Methods: This was a single-center, open, observational behavioral mapping study performed in a quaternary intensive care unit (ICU) in Melbourne, Australia. Observations were collected every 10 minutes for 8 hours between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm with the highest level of physical activity, patient location, and persons present at the bedside recorded. Results: Two thousand fifty observations..