Development of the Italian Version of the ICU Mobility Scale (IMS). Cross-cultural Adaptation, Italian Translation, and Validation Study.

Development of the Italian Version of the ICU Mobility Scale (IMS). Cross-cultural Adaptation, Italian Translation, and Validation Study.

Early mobilisation of the patient admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) is essential to prevent Intensive Care Unit Acquired Weakness (ICUAW). It is essential to be able to measure functional mobility in order to evaluate the effectiveness of early mobilisation, both in clinical and research settings.

The ICU Mobility Scale (IMS) is a validated scale that can be used to describe the functional level of the critically ill patient according to a categorical scale of 11 items. Each category describes the patient's capabilities from a mobility point of view.

The main objective of the study is the validation of the Italian version of the IMS (IMS-it) on a cohort of patients admitted to intensive care.

Secondary objective is to assess the concordance between the perception level that the healthcare worker has with regard to the patient's mobility, before the patient is mobilised, expressed with the IMSSecondary study objectives.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients aged ≥ 18 years
• ability self-mobility prior to hospital admission (assessed by the Clinical Frailty Scale), if applicable, the reasons for inclusion of vulnerable patients.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Concurrent admission due to newly diagnosed or suspected neurological disorders (e.g., stroke, intracranial hemorrhages, head trauma, Guillain-Barré syndrome, status epilepticus)
• Primary neurological or myopathic processes associated with muscle weakness (e.g. Guillain-Barré syndrome)
• Inability to understand and speak Italian
• History of cognitive deficits before hospital admission
• Unstable fractures or traumas requiring immobility, mobility restrictions, or bed rest
• Terminally ill patients in palliative care
• Any other clinical reasons that may prevent patient mobilization according to caring physician.