Dry skin in home care: A representative prevalence study

To measure the prevalence and severity of dry skin in the home care nursing setting in Germany and to determine demographic and health characteristics associated with skin dryness.

Advanced age and skin care dependency are risk factors for the development of skin dryness. Dry skin has a negative impact on the quality of life and increases the risk for secondary cutaneous infections and other adverse skin conditions. The prevalence of dry skin in home care is unknown.

A representative multicenter prevalence study was conducted in home care services in Germany during July 2015.

A random selection of home care services and clients was performed. Nurses, who were instructed how to perform the data collection using standardized forms, performed data collection. Demographic, functional and health variables were documented and analyzed.

More than half of all participating clients (n = 923; median age 83 years (range 21-104)) were affected by dry skin (51.7 (95% CI 48.5 to 54.9). The most often affected skin areas were the distal extremities. Males and immobile clients were more often affected than females and mobile clients. In the adjusted analysis pruritus and the presence of incontinence-associated dermatitis were most strongly associated with dry skin.

Dry skin occurs widely in home care and is strongly associated with pruritus. Fundamental skin care is an easy but powerful nursing intervention to treat this condition successfully. Preventive skin care strategies need to be implemented in the home care setting to improve skin health and integrity either by nurses and/or informal caregivers.