Mobility initiative at Banner Baywood results in reduced length of stay for patients

MESA, Ariz. (Dec. 9, 2024) – An initiative at Banner Baywood Medical Center has resulted in a reduced length of stay for patients and improved outcomes.

“This initiative has been a huge win for both our patients and our clinical care teams,” said Stephanie Swepston, RN, associate director for clinical care operations at Banner Baywood. “Because we’ve dedicated a team to help patients get their necessary daily movement, nurses can better prioritize more critical patient needs, which simultaneously help achieve better outcomes.”

With a large geriatric patient population at the east Mesa facility, the importance of getting patients up and moving is crucial for patient outcomes — the longer a patient lies in bed without walking, the longer they may stay in the hospital and increase chances for complications. With the help of the Banner Ambulation Team, nurses could also focus more on other important clinical responsibilities while patients still met their mobility goals.

The MOVE initiative was developed to increase mobility for patients, using a “Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool” with the “BAT” team, a group of patient transporters who received specialized education of safe patient handling and hands-on mobility training.

After about a year, the hospital has seen a decrease in length of stay by about two days for some patients. In total, nearly 40,000 patients have benefited from the mobility initiative since its inception. This has resulted in people being able to spend more time with their families at home while getting back to a healthy lifestyle, a key element in Banner Baywood’s commitment to provide quality, personalized care for the community.

About Banner Baywood Medical Center

Banner Baywood Medical Center is an acute care hospital in Mesa, Ariz. The hospital is a Primary Stroke Center and also offers orthopedics, emergency care, surgery, cancer care and acute rehabilitation. The 50,000 square-foot Emergency department offers advanced Emergency care and medical imaging technology. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/baywood.

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