Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

6-25-2021

Comments

Poster attached as supplemental file below

Abstract

Pressure Ulcers (PUs) are wounds resulting from skin breakdown. They are common among those who have mobility limitations, and older adults, particularly those residing in nursing homes (NHs) and long-term care facilities (LTCFs). PUs cost U.S. and international healthcare systems millions of dollars per year. For all of these reasons, PUs represent a continuing public health threat.

Our review provides an update on the prevalence of PUs in LTCFs and NHs, especially regarding older adults. We used a single-reviewer, modified PRISMA-P process to conduct a rapid review of the literature. Relevant search terminology were input into PubMed and Scopus® databases. These search results were screened for eligibility, and then full-text articles were selected based upon adherence to pre-determined relevancy criteria.

We selected five articles for inclusion in this review, of which two were conducted in Portugal, and one each in France, Japan, and China. All studies were cross-sectional and used some standardized scale to assess PU grade. Prevalence ranged from 4.03% to 14.42%. Regional comparisons found that PUs were more common on the sacrococcygeal region, and were more severe. Definitional differences between LTCF vs. NH were uncovered, particularly in France and Portugal.

This review highlights the continuing importance of prevention and physiological research efforts within the field, and reports results from countries not included in previous reviews. Effects of LTC insurance, and definitional differences between LTCF and NH, may have affected prevalence, in that LTCFs contained sicker patients. Further research is needed to elucidate the precise reasons for prevalence differences.

Additional Files
Callaghan poster .pdf (484 kB)

Language

English

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