MDS+ items not contained in the pressure ulcer RAP associated with pressure ulcer prevalence in newly...

All federally funded facilities are required to use the Minimum Data Set Plus (MDS+) for functional assessment of their residents. Within the MDS+ there are 18 specific conditions addressed through Resident Assessment Protocols (RAPs). The purpose of this study was to determine if MDS+ items not included in the pressure ulcer RAP correlated with pressure ulcer prevalence in newly institutionalized elderly. Additionally, this study examined whether the addition of nutritional status information to the correlated items increased association with pressure ulcer prevalence. Data were collected through a retrospective chart review of 990 residents over age 65 at eight nursing homes. Pressure ulcer prevalence was 33.2%. Nineteen of 59 non-RAP MDS+ items were correlated with pressure ulcer prevalence. Logistic regression determined that 10 MDS+ items predicted pressure ulcer prevalence in 28.88% of the subjects. Including serum albumin in the logistic model increased the predictability for pressure ulcer prevalence to 36.3%. Results of this study demonstrate the strong association between nutrition and pressure ulcer prevalence and the need to revise the pressure ulcer RAP.