Using outcome measures to transition ambulation from physical therapy to nursing for patients with mechanical circulatory support: a pilot study

Purpose:
The primary aim of this pilot study was to propose cutoff scores for the functional outcome measures at which patients with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device can transition ambulation from a skilled physical therapy service to a nursing-led ambulation program.

Methods:
This was an exploratory pilot study (N = 46) of patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) with MCS devices. Three functional outcome measures were used: Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC), Perme ICU Mobility Score (Perme Score), and 5-m gait speed test (gait speed). Cutoff scores were identified using area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic.

Results:
Twenty-two patients (intra-aortic balloon pump n = 16; Impella n = 6) were transitioned to a nursing-led ambulation program. The proposed cutoff scores to transition to a nursing-led ambulation program were 19.5 raw score (whole number >19) (>45.44 t score) for AM-PAC, 29.5 (whole number >29) for Perme Score, and 0.57 m/s or more for gait speed.

Conclusion:
The proposed cutoff scores for the 3 commonly used outcome measures for patients in the ICU are possibly useful when transitioning the ambulation program safely from skilled physical therapy to nursing service.