title: Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injury Prevalence Among Adult Acute Care Patients: A Single-Center Observational Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to measure the daily prevalence of adhesive product use and related skin injuries in adult patients in a non-intensive care unit setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample consisted of patients cared for on 2 inpatient care units in a university-based acute care facility in the Midwestern United States. One was a 30-bed medical/surgical unit and the second was a 35-bed cardiac/telemetry unit. Their median age was 58 years; the average daily proportion of males and females was 56% and 42%, respectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI) prevalence was calculated using 3 methods: (1) the proportion of subjects who had any MARSI injury (subject prevalence), (2) the prevalence of MARSI by injury type and severity (severity prevalence), and (3) the proportion of medical adhesive products that had any associated MARSI (product prevalence).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The daily subject prevalence of any MARSI injury ranged from 3.4% to 25.0% with a mean and median of 13.0% and 12.7%, respectively. The severity prevalence of MARSI injury ranged from 8 to 149 per 1000 product-days with a mean and median of 63 and 56 MARSIs per 1000 product-days, respectively. The median (range) product prevalence among all adhesive products varied from a high of 70 injuries per 1000 product-days for surgical closure to a low of 0 injuries per 1000 product-days for peripheral intravenous line dressing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical adhesive-related skin injury is a prevalent event in the acute care setting. Preventing skin injury has the potential to reduce complications, increase patient satisfaction, and improve clinical outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Marietta K. Farris, MAN, RN, Patient Care Unit 7B, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michael Petty, PhD, RN, CCNS, ACNS-BC, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. Jennifer H. Hamilton, BA, 3M, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Shelley-Ann Walters, MS, 3M, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michael A. Flynn, MPH, RN, Medica, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Marietta K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Farris
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petty
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Shelley-Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Flynn
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000269:Adhesives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives