Objective To describe current situation of early mobilization of patients after gastrointestinal surgery,to identify the influencing factors, and to provide references for nurses to formulate corresponding nursing strategies. Methods A total of 329 patients who had undergone scheduled gastrointestinal surgery were enrolled. Post-surgery early mobilization of patients were investigated and the influencing factors were probed. Results Totally, 182(55.32%) patients got out of bed within 24 hours after surgery, and 128(38.91%) patients had a total activity time of over 1 hour on the first and second day after surgery. Gender and the total number of postoperative catheters were independent factors influencing early mobilization of patients after gastrointestinal surgery (P＜0.05 for both). Conclusion Early ambulation of patients after gastrointestinal surgery needs to be improved. Targeted nursing strategies need to be formulated in bid to enhance patient adherence to early mobilization, and boost post-operative recovery.