A cross-sectional descriptive study of pressure ulcer prevalence in a teaching hospital in China

Surveying pressure ulcer (PU) prevalence is a common practice in some western countries and has served as a tool to improve prevention policies and procedures. Although attention on PU prevention has increased in China, no PU prevalence baseline information is available to help guide care. To obtain this baseline information, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a 3,000-bed teaching hospital in Wuhan. On the morning of the study, trained clinicians audited the total hospital patient population (61 nursing units, 2,913 inpatients) using the PU survey tool designed by National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. The majority of the patients (1,648, 56.6) were male, average patient age was 43.91 (+/-21.20) years, range 1 to 94 years. The overall PU prevalence rate was 1.8% (52 patients/79 ulcers). The hospital-acquired prevalence rate was 1.54% (0.82% when Stage I ulcers were excluded). Prevalence rates were highest in the ICU (45.5%) and most ulcers (53.2%) were located in the sacral-coccyx area. The results of this study suggest that overall PU prevalence rates are low compared to data from other countries. Differences in patient acuity, average patient length-of-stay, and prevention practices may explain these observations. The results of this study can guide hospital prevention efforts and serve as a benchmark for PU prevalence studies in China.