Postoperative mobilisation as an indicator for the quality of surgical nursing care

Background: Postoperative mobilisation is an important part of fundamental care. Increased mobilisation has positive effect on recovery, but immobilisation is still a challenge in postoperative care. Aims: To report how the establishment of a national nursing database was used to measure postoperative mobilisation in patients undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer. Methods: 'Mobilisation' was defined as at least 3 hours out of bed on postoperative day 1, with the goal set at achieving this in 60% of patients. Data entry was performed by clinical nurses on 4400 patients with ovarian cancer. Findings: 46.7% of patients met the goal for mobilisation on the first postoperative day, but variations in duration and type of mobilisation were observed. Of those mobilised, 51.8% had been walking in the hallway. Conclusions: A national nursing database creates opportunities to optimise fundamental care. By comparing nursing data with oncological, surgical and pathology data it became possible to study mobilisation in relation to cancer stage, comorbidity, treatment and extent of surgery.