Getting Started with JH-AMP
Hospitalized patients spend much of the day in bed, increasing the risk of immobility-related harms, prolonged stays, and poorer outcomes across all hospital units.
Like fall and pressure injury prevention, mobility requires a systematic approach. The Johns Hopkins Activity and Mobility Promotion (JH-AMP) eight-step framework helps hospitals build a sustainable culture of mobility to improve patient outcomes.
On this page:
JH-AMP 8 Step Framework | What a Culture of Mobility Looks Like | Quick Start Guide | Explore JH-AMP Resources
JH-AMP 8-Step Framework
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Hospital leadership should establish JH-AMP as a priority to synergize with safety and quality initiatives (falls, pressure injuries and delirium) and strategic cost-reduction initiatives (length of stay, discharge planning and readmission reductions).
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Standardize measurement across clinical disciplines (nurses, physicians and rehabilitation therapists) to clearly identify changes in patient function and quantify success of mobility and activity promotion efforts. This common interprofessional metric set includes patient capacity (Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC)), daily goal (Johns Hopkins Mobility Goal Calculator (JH-MGC)) and observed mobility performance (Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility Scale (JH-HLM)).
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As with other quality improvement efforts, systematic barrier assessment is imperative. A cycle of process evaluation, barrier identification and solution-seeking should include (1) prioritized actions, (2) person(s) responsible, (3) action timelines and (4) additional stakeholders to be engaged.
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Facilitating hospitalized patient mobility to scale takes an interprofessional team. Explicit roles for nurses, rehabilitation therapists, physicians and other stakeholders are essential to align workflows, realize efficiencies and ensure accountability.
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Formal education and training are essential to implementation and sustainability efforts, as this helps promote consistency among clinicians. A tiered education strategy inclusive of onboarding, competency and just-in-time training will reinforce JH-AMP concepts.
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For effective implementation, JH-AMP needs to be incorporated into existing electronic and human workflows. The clinical team should communicate patient goals and performance as a care priority in rounds, huddles and handoffs, no different than fall risk, nutrition or concerning lab values.
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A critical component of implementing JH-AMP is to provide data feedback to stakeholders and front-line clinical staff members. The JH-AMP program includes three key performance indicators: (1) AM-PAC, (2) JH-HLM documentation compliance and (3) mobility goal achievement as determined by the JH-MGC.
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Promotion and awareness are critical components of sustaining effort in all quality improvement projects. JH-AMP includes promotion and messaging materials to bolster program visibility and prevent momentum loss.
What a Culture of Mobility Looks Like
Every Patient
Every Day
A Measurable Goal
Part of the Care Plan
Mobility goals and progress are documented and communicated across the interprofessional team to support coordinated care.
Watch our “Establishing Mobility as a Safety Quality Priority in the Hospital” webinar.
Shared through the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, this webinar introduces why mobility must be a systematic priority in hospital care and provides an introduction to JH-AMP. Learn how its evidence-based framework aligns leadership, clinical teams, workflows, measurement and education to make mobility a reliable part of everyday care.
Explore the Research Behind JH-AMP.
These publications highlight the development, implementation and outcomes of evidence-based mobility practices, including large-scale hospital adoption, standardized mobility measurement and strategies to improve patient outcomes through systematic mobility promotion.
Introduction to Johns Hopkins Activity and Mobility Promotion (JH-AMP).
Self-paced, on-demand course
Learn why systematic mobility promotion is essential to hospital care and how the JH-AMP framework helps organizations make mobility a reliable, measurable and sustainable part of everyday practice. This introductory course outlines the core principles, key components and implementation approach for building a hospital-wide culture of mobility.
Register for the course (coming soon).
Common Language for Mobility
Download the JH-AMP Common Mobility Language Guide and Toolkit to access shared terminology and practical resources that support consistent communication about patient mobility across interprofessional teams and care settings. These resources are an integral part of the broader JH-AMP framework, supporting the integration of mobility into everyday practice through a systematic, coordinated approach.
Access conference content.
The JH-AMP annual conference provides practical tools and actionable strategies to establishing patient mobility as a hospital priority.
Schedule a complimentary consultation.
Connect with a JH-AMP expert to discuss your organization's mobility goals and identify resources and next steps tailored to your needs. Contact [email protected] to get started.