Background: Early mobilization is critical in postoperative rehabilitation of orthopedic patients, leading to reduced complications, shorter hospital stays, and better functional outcomes. However, mobilization practices are often inconsistent due to barriers at patient, provider, and system levels. In India, validated tools to systematically identify these barriers are lacking. Objective: The objective of this study was to develop, translate, and evaluate a survey tool to assess barriers to early mobility in orthopedic patients from the perspective of healthcare professionals in Gujarat, India. Methods: A cross-sectional, two-phase study was conducted. Phase I involved adapting a 26-item tool developed by Hoyer et al . (2014) through expert panel review, item modification, and contextual refinement. One item was removed due to limited relevance in orthopedic settings, resulting in a 25-item tool organized into three domains: knowledge (4 items), attitude (8 items), and behavior (13 items). The tool was translated into Gujarati using the World Health Organization guidelines. Phase II involved pilot testing and full validation among 100 healthcare professionals. Psychometric evaluation included internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and content validity. Results: The final 25-item tool showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.735 for English and 0.723 for Gujarati) and excellent test–retest reliability ( r = 0.977 for English and r = 1.000 for Gujarati). Content validity was strong (item-level content validity index: 0.80–1.0 and scale-level content validity index: 0.93). No significant floor or ceiling effects were observed. Conclusion: This Gujarati survey tool is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing barriers to early mobility in orthopedic settings. It can guide clinical decisions, policymaking, and targeted strategies to improve early mobilization practices in Indian hospitals.
Upadhyay et al. (Tue,) studied this question.