Barriers and facilitators of early mobilization at the pediatric intensive care unit: a systematic review

ABSTRACT This systematic review aimed to identify barriers and facilitators for the implementation of early mobilization in pediatric intensive care units. A systematic search was carried out based on studies that addressed barriers and/or facilitators for early mobilization in children and adolescents. Studies published until June 2019 in the MEDLINE®, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Latin American & Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Cochrane Library, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases were included. Selection and assessment of methodological quality were performed by two independent reviewers. Data that could be identified as barriers and/or facilitators were extracted for analysis. 358 records were found in the databases, of which 13 articles were included. 18 barriers were cited; the most cited ones were the insufficient number of professionals and team’s insecurity. Of the 11 mentioned facilitators, the most frequent were training/education of the multidisciplinary team and the establishment of guidelines/consensus. There are many barriers to be broken for early mobilization to be effective, but some facilitators are already known and can be implemented, making their implementation feasible for the pediatric population.