The phenomenon of bedriddenness in older adults in hospitals: A scoping review of current research and nursing implications

• Maintaining and promoting mobility are core nursing tasks, with a focus on training and education. • Continuous monitoring is necessary to initiate interventions with other specialists. • Concepts should be developed to meet the needs of those with severe mobility and cognitive issues. • Psychosocial effects like isolation, depression, and anxiety need more attention. • Participation of bedridden persons should be considered as nursing tasks. Due to demographic changes, the increasing number of bedridden individuals presents challenges for hospitals in developing care concepts. This scoping review examines research on bedriddenness among older adults in hospitals, focusing on the process and prevention of bedriddenness, its consequences, the organisation of life in bed, and implications for nursing. A systematic search across four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, LIVIO, Scopus) for studies published 2003–2023 includes 55 articles. Most studies address the adverse effects of bedriddenness and their treatment, while fewer studies focus on prevention and care of bedridden patients, underlining the need for care strategies. The review emphasizes the importance of preventing and delaying mobility impairments. This can be achieved by promoting awareness among caregivers and patients of the consequences of even brief immobility and encouraging mobilisation during hospitalisation. Additionally, developing multimodal-exercise programmes to improve independent performance in daily living skills and promoting participation of bedridden people are essential.