Risk factors for pressure ulcers in the spinal cord injured in the community

A retrospective review was performed on the medical records of 29 patients with traumatic spinal cord injury who were admitted for pressure ulcer research protocols within the Division of Plastic Surgery at a university medical center in Southeast Texas. The purpose of the study was to identify common factors in the community that may contribute to the development of pressure ulcers in the spinal cord injured person at home, as a prelude to development of a risk assessment scale for use by the home care nurse. Oot-Giromini's Web of Causation was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Findings support current pressure ulcer research literature, implicating a diverse array of physical and psychosocial elements such as nutrition, past history of pressure ulcers, and social support issues as risk factors. Further research is needed before a risk assessment scale is formulated.