Pressure ulcers in secondary care: incidence, prevalence, and relevance

Adv Skin Wound Care. 2005 Apr;18(3):140-5. doi: 10.1097/00129334-200504000-00011.

Abstract

Objective: To compare point and period prevalence rates.

Design: Descriptive, cohort, cross-sectional survey.

Participants: From a cohort of 25,075 cases, information on pressure ulcer status on admission was recorded for 20,283 cases. From 3237 selected cases, the pressure ulcer team made 2234 assessments.

Main outcome measures: Point prevalence, period prevalence, and incidence rates.

Main results: The cohort showed a period prevalence rate of 1.4% and an incidence rate of 0.6%. Patients with a pressure ulcer were older, were more likely to have had surgery, had longer hospital stays, and had a higher cost weight. The cross-sectional survey revealed a point prevalence rate of 5.3%. Patients within the cross-sectional survey had longer lengths of stay, were more likely to have had surgery, and presented a higher cost weight in comparison with the cohort.

Conclusions: In an unselected hospital sample one can expect a period prevalence rate of 2% and a point prevalence rate of 10%. As demonstrated by the present study, differences between the 2 prevalence measurements are mainly due to the confounding of point prevalence rates by length of stay. Length of stay determines the probability of inclusion in a cross-sectional study and should be considered in pressure ulcer trials in the future.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Distribution
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diagnosis-Related Groups / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Germany / epidemiology
  • Hospitals, University
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Infant
  • Inpatients* / statistics & numerical data
  • Length of Stay
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Population Surveillance
  • Pressure Ulcer / classification
  • Pressure Ulcer / epidemiology*
  • Pressure Ulcer / etiology
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Severity of Illness Index