Pressure ulcer research: etiology, assessment, and early intervention

Pressure ulcers are a significant health care problem in the United States. Cost-effective provision of health care requires that basic and applied research serve as the basis for clinical care. Only then can the benefits and risks of therapeutic interventions be documented, understood, and used to improve health care delivery. This document describes the research priorities regarding the etiology, assessment, and early prevention of pressure ulcers that the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel deems important.