Sammanfattning
For a number of years, mobilisation has been standard practice in the care and treatment of
patients in intensive care. However, this mobilisation has typically been passive. Admission to an
intensive care unit (ICU) may be life-saving, but the complications are numerous. Many patients may
be discharged with their lives intact, but with severely impaired quality of life and functioning. ICU-
AW (Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness) is now a recognised complication in which the sequela
of muscle-weakening may be a primary reason for readmission.
Increased focus on active mobilisation of ICU patients spurred the procurement of a state-of-the-art
bed bicycle. A quality-improvement project was carried out in which the patient-reported and
personnel-reported effect of bed-cycling was studied.
The project included 25 patients, who commenced bed-cycling on their first or second day as an
inpatient. The patients were interviewed one week after discharge from the ICU. The primary nurses
completed a questionnaire.
The patient-reported effect was very positive, and the majority of nurses reported use of the bed
bicycle as productive.
The bed bicycle is suitable for use by a wide range of ICU patients.