Nursing Challenges in Pressure Injury Management: Global Prevalence Patterns and Projected Care Demands in Aging...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Pressure injuries represent a significant and growing global health challenge.
• The escalating incidence, particularly in geriatric populations, demands comprehensive understanding and intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the global burden of pressure injuries from 1990 to 2021.
• To project future trends in pressure injury incidence and mortality to 2050.
• To analyze the burden across different socio-demographic index levels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Global Burden of Disease 2021 data for 204 countries (1990-2021).
• Employed multilevel analysis, including age-period-cohort modeling, stochastic frontier analysis, and Bayesian projections.
• Stratified analysis by age-standardized incidence rates, disability-adjusted life years, and socio-demographic index.

Main Results:

• Global incident cases increased by 160.3%, from 1.22 million to 3.18 million.
• Projected cases to reach 8.4 million by 2050, with 72.4% in low-middle socio-demographic index areas.
• Mortality in individuals aged 95 and older may triple.

Conclusions:

• Emphasizes the critical need for global collaboration to combat the rising burden of pressure injuries.
• Highlights the necessity of equitable prevention strategies and enhanced healthcare infrastructure, especially in aging and resource-limited settings.
• Underscores the importance of evidence-based approaches for optimizing healthcare resource allocation and advancing nursing-led prevention frameworks.