title: Pressure ulcers in community-based older adults receiving home health care. Prevalence, incidence, and associated risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers in community-based adults receiving home health care and to identify risk factors for incident Stage II to IV pressure ulcers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A large midwestern urban home health care agency.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort was 1711 nonhospice, nonintravenous therapy subjects admitted between January 1995 and March 1996 who were > or = age 60 and pressure ulcer-free on admission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on risk factors were extracted from admission information. Patient records were followed forward chronologically to the outcomes: pressure ulcer development or no pressure ulcer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of Stage II to IV pressure ulcers was 3.2%. Cox regression analyses revealed that limitation in activity to a wheelchair, needing assistance with the activities of daily living--dressing, bowel and/or bladder incontinence, a Braden Scale mobility subscore of very limited, anemia, adult child as primary caregiver, male gender, a recent fracture, oxygen use, and skin drainage predicted pressure ulcer development (P < or = 0.05) in this exploratory model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients > or = age 60 who are admitted to a home health care agency with 1 or more of these risk factors require close monitoring for pressure ulcer development and should be taught preventive interventions on admission.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Kansas, Kansas City, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bergquist
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frantz
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index