21 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 K. J. Haines et al. (eds.), Improving Critical Care Survivorship, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68680-2_2 Chapter 2 Implementing Early Mobilisation in the Intensive Care Unit Jenna K. Lang, Stefan J. Schaller, and Carol L. Hodgson What Is the Impact of Implementing Early Mobilisation in the Intensive Care Unit? As critical care survivorship improves, research has increasingly focused on inter- ventions which may prevent or manage critical illness-related morbidity [1]. Physically, intensive care impacts negatively on muscle and nerve structure and function with the literature supporting an incidence of intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) more than 50% in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation [2, 3]. There is an association between ICU-AW and poorer outcomes including mortality, length of stay and physical function [3–5]. Early mobilisation J. K. Lang Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Department of Physiotherapy, Western Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia e-mail: jenna.lang@monash.edu S. J. Schaller Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Anesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care, Berlin, Germany e-mail: stefan.schaller@charite.de C. L. Hodgson (*) Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia The Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Division of Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia e-mail: carol.hodgson@monash.edu