patients’ failure to attain optimal achievement scores,
as patients may have been unable to perform daily
mobility activities when the aide was not present to
assist them. The mobility protocol is still in effect on
the unit, and two nursing assistants now alternate in
the role of mobility aide so that patients receive mobility
assistance seven days per week. In addition, our
protocol did not take into account that patients are
often admitted late in the afternoon or discharged
early in the morning. For such patients, three mobility
activities on the day of admission or discharge may
not have been feasible. Finally, we were limited in our
ability to measure improvement or decline in patients’
functional status.