Pressure Ulcer - Epidemiology

Epidemiology

Each year, more than 2.5 million people in the United States develop pressure ulcers. Within acute care in the United States, the incidence of bedsores is 0.4% to 38%; within long-term care, 2.2% to 23.9%; and in home care, 0% to 17%. There is the same wide variation in prevalence: 10% to 18% in acute care, 2.3% to 28% in long-term care, and 0% to 29% in home care. There is a much higher rate of bedsores in intensive care units because of immunocompromised individuals, with 8% to 40% of ICU patients developing bedsores. However pressure ulcer prevalence is highly dependent on the methodology used to collect the data. Using the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) methodology there are similar figures for pressure ulcers in acute hospital patients. There are differences across countries, but in Europe (for example) using this methodology pressure ulcer prevalence was consistently high, from 8.3% (Italy) to 22.9% (Sweden). A recent study in Jordan also showed a figure in this range.