Is the manchester mobility score a valid and reliable measure of physical function within the intensive care unit

Early and structured rehabilitation programmes have been shown to decrease both critical care and hospital length of stay (LOS) [1] as well as improve functional ability at the point of critical care discharge [2]. At present there is no general or universally accepted method for measuring mobility within the critical care unit or to track rehabilitation progress [3]. The Manchester Mobility Score was developed in 2005 as one such tool to describe the levels of mobility seen within critical care. Since development, the MMS has been used and adapted in several large critical care units within the UK, but has not previously been investigated in terms of validity and reliability