PRESSURE ULCER PREVALENCE IN OHIO NURSING-HOMES - CLINICAL AND FACILITY CORRELATES

Pressure ulcers remain a common medical problem in nursing homes, desp ite the development of clinical guidelines for prevention and treatmen t. Prevention involves low technology but vigilant care. If the diseas e progresses, infections can develop, and surgery may be necessary to prevent death. This article examines pressure ulcer correlates in a re presentative sample of 15,121 nursing home residents in 1994 in the st ate of Ohio, The prevalence of pressure ulcers was 12%, 8% for Stage 2 or greater. The study found that many nursing home residents remain a t great risk of developing pressure ulcers. Important risk factors inc luded a history of cured pressure ulcers, new admission and readmissio ns, dependencies in activities of daily living, weight loss and dehydr ation, diabetes, edema, and incontinence. After controlling for clinic al factors, residents in rural facilities were less likely to have a p ressure ulcer. These findings suggest that the quality of pressure ulc er care in nursing homes could improve.