The incidence of pressure ulcers at a geriatric functional recovery unit: a time series study

Abstract

Objectives: To describe and analyze the incidence of pressure ulcers (PU) at the geriatric functional recovery unit of a geriatric hospital, along with the possible risk factors. Methods: a retrospective time series study conducted at a mid-stay or convalescence geriatric unit to examine the incidence of PU. Two study periods were examined between 2012 and 2013. The data comprised all patients consecutively admitted during both study periods, n=241. The occurrence of a PU or hospital-acquired pressure ulcer was considered as a lesion that occurred > 48 hours after admission (the formula used for calculation was: patients who have developed a PU at the hospital × 100 / patients admitted for more than two days). A descriptive analysis was performed of the gathered variables and these were compared using the Chi-Squared test or the Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate. Results: the accumulated incidence for the first study period was 23%, 95% CI=15.8-31.4, whereas during the second period this was 23.5%, 95% CI=15.9-31.2. No statistically significant differences were found. An incidence rate of 3.4 per 1,000 patients / day was obtained during the first period and of 4.6 per 1,000 patients / day during the second period, equaling a rate of 0.857, 95% CI=0.49-1.5. There were no differences in the RR of developing PU according to the period for each variable, with the exception of the diagnosis of muscle-skeletal problems; patients in the second group who had this ailment obtained a RR of 3.3, 95% CI=1.1-10.9. Conclusions: This study has enabled us to determine the incidence of PU and their risk factors at the functional recovery unit of a geriatric hospital. To date, there is scarce epidemiological data on this population. However, further studies on this topic are necessary in order to continue improving the quality of care for older patients.