National Prevalence and Incidence Study: 6-year sequential acute care data

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Pressure ulcers represent a significant challenge in healthcare, impacting patient outcomes and healthcare costs.
• Existing methods for measuring pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence lacked standardization, hindering comparative analysis.
• There was a need for a reliable benchmark to assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing pressure ulcer development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a standardized methodology for measuring pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence.
• To provide healthcare organizations with a benchmark for performance evaluation.
• To facilitate ongoing monitoring and improvement of patient care related to pressure ulcers.

Main Methods:

• A standardized data collection form was utilized across participating healthcare organizations.
• Pressure ulcer prevalence was measured over a 24-hour period, while incidence was assessed over the average length of stay.
• Data collected included patient demographics, ulcer stages, locations, and contributing factors, followed by auditing and central database analysis.

Main Results:

• Pressure ulcer prevalence varied between 14% and 17% across the study years.
• Pressure ulcer incidence ranged from 7% to 9% during the study period.
• Participating organizations received comprehensive reports and access to a comparative database.

Conclusions:

• A validated, standardized methodology for pressure ulcer data collection and reporting has been successfully implemented.
• This standardized approach serves as a valuable tool for healthcare organizations to benchmark their performance.
• The methodology supports ongoing measurement of intervention effectiveness, leading to improved patient outcomes and trend analysis.