The Effect of Early Mobilization on Postoperative Recovery in Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

In 30 seconds

This single-centre randomized controlled trial evaluated a structured, nurse-led early mobilization protocol in 130 patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Compared with usual care, the intervention group mobilized earlier (mean 4.18 ± 0.69 hours vs 6.02 ± 0.21 hours; P < .05) and accumulated more mobilization time on the first postoperative day. Total and postoperative hospital stay did not differ significantly. The groups differed in selected Postoperative Recovery Index subscales and total score, with the authors concluding that structured early mobilization improved recovery outcomes within the first 24 hours.

Key findings

• Mean time to first mobilization was 4.18 ± 0.69 hours with the protocol and 6.02 ± 0.21 hours in controls (P < .05).
• First-day total mobilization time was 134.97 ± 27.01 minutes in the intervention group and 55.42 ± 30.76 minutes in controls (P < .05).
• Total and postoperative hospital stay did not differ significantly between groups (P > .05).
• Total PoRI scores differed between groups (P = .001), as did psychological symptoms (P = .026), physical activity (P = .038), and bowel symptoms (P = .002).

Why it matters

The trial suggests that a standardized, goal-directed mobilization approach can change how soon and how much patients move after abdominal surgery, alongside differences in early recovery scores. The absence of a detected difference in hospital stay is important when interpreting the potential scope of benefit: the reported advantages concern early mobilization and recovery measures rather than shorter hospitalization.

What to keep in mind

The trial was conducted at a single centre, and the reported recovery outcomes concern the first 24 hours; longer-term outcomes are not described in the abstract.