News spotlight: Pressure ulcer-related hospitalizations increase in U.S
Nurse Leader Weekly, December 15, 2008
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Pressure is on the rise in hospitals across the country to reduce the mounting number of hospital-acquired pressure sores.
According to a recent Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report, the number of hospital patients who developed one or more pressure ulcers prior to or after admission increased by almost 80% between 1993 and 2006. The report examined 503,300 pressure ulcer-related hospitalizations and found that in 457,800 of the cases, patients admitted for pneumonia, infections, or other medical problems later developed pressure ulcers as a secondary diagnosis. The majority of inpatients suffering from pressure ulcers were at least 65 years of age.
The report also cites a spike in hospitalization lengths of stay and costs for pressure ulcer patients. The length of an average pressure ulcer-related stay is between 13 and 14 days, costing between $16,755 and $20,430, in contrast with the average hospital stay of five days that costs about $10,000.
AHRQ has created a program to prevent pressure ulcers within nursing home settings and is currently funding research to on pressure ulcer prevention in hospitals.
Sources: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and The New York Times
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