The Effect of an Early Mobilization Program on Time to Return of Bowel Sounds, Pain Severity, and Urinary Output in Postoperative Patients with Intestinal Obstruction

Abstract

Introduction: Although early mobilization is considered a promising intervention, there remains a need to evaluate its effectiveness in the local clinical context, specifically among patients undergoing surgery for intestinal obstruction.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of implementing an early mobilization program on the time to return of bowel sounds, pain intensity, and urinary output in patients following surgery for intestinal obstruction.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on a convenient sample of 80 patients, equally allocated into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received an early mobilization program. This protocol was initiated after the patient recovered from anesthesia and continued for up to three days postoperatively. The control group received standard postoperative care only. Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests, Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U, due to the distribution characteristics of the data.

Results: The results showed a statistically significant reduction (p ≤ 0.001) in time to bowel sounds, pain intensity, and urinary output in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Conclusion and Recommendations: The study concludes that the implementation of an early mobilization program is an effective and safe non-pharmacological intervention for improving the aforementioned indicators and maintaining their stability in postoperative intestinal obstruction patients.