Risk factors associated with having a pressure ulcer: a secondary data analysis

Data obtained through five hospital-wide pressure ulcer audits were pooled for exploratory analysis. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was (1) to delineate the association of various risk factors and the presence of pressure ulcers and (2) to generate specific, testable hypotheses. Risk factors studied included fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, malnutrition, impaired mobility, decreased mental status, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and metastatic carcinoma. Stepwise logistic regression resulted in a best-fitting model that included fecal incontinence, impaired mobility, malnutrition, decreased mental status, and an interaction effect between fecal incontinence and impaired mobility. This model suggested that the odds of having a pressure ulcer were 22 times greater for hospitalized adult patients with fecal incontinence compared to hospitalized adult patients without fecal incontinence.