Pediatric pressure ulcer prevalence--one hospital's experience

Pressure ulcers in children are presumed to be relatively uncommon and have not been well studied. To better understand the occurrence of pressure ulcers in the pediatric population, two wound ostomy continence certified nurses at the University of Virginia Children's Hospital conducted prevalence studies in June 2003 and in June 2004. All five pediatric units (the neonatal intensive care unit, the pediatric intensive care unit, two general acute care units, and the rehabilitation unit) were included in the study. Each hospitalized child present on the unit at the time of the study participated and was examined. The data were tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics. In June 2003, two of 77 patients (3%) and a year later three of 79 patients (4%) had a pressure ulcer. These results are comparable to recent multisite study prevalence figures. Priority outcomes of the prevalence studies include implementation of a pediatric pressure ulcer risk assessment tool, education of healthcare professionals, and continuous pressure ulcer prevalence monitoring.