• Audrey Groeneveld, Marjorie Anderson, Sandy Allen, Sandy Bressmer, Maria Golberg, Bernice Magee, Margaret Milner, and Sue Young.
• Infection Control Practitioner, Infection Control Unit, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
• J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2004 May 1; 31 (3): 108-20; quiz 121-2.

ObjectiveTo describe the pressure ulcer prevalence, stage and body location, and demographic characteristics of patients with pressure ulcers at a tertiary care adult hospital and a tertiary care pediatric hospital.DesignPrevalence survey.Setting And SubjectsA total of 513 inpatients, including 416 adults admitted to a tertiary care hospital and 97 children admitted to a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Only inpatients with mental health-related diagnoses were excluded.InstrumentsThe Kinetics Concepts International's Prevalence and Incidence Study Collection Form was used to assess variables, including demographic information; presence, location, and stage of pressure ulcers; and presence of special support surfaces.MethodsAll patients had head-to-toe skin assessments performed during an 8-hour period by teams of 3 multidisciplinary staff members. Kinetics Concepts International's Prevalence and Incidence Program software and Microsoft Excel were used for data entry and analysis.ResultsCombined pressure ulcer prevalence was 26.3%, with 29.2% in adult patients and 13.1% in pediatric patients. The most common body locations for pressure ulcers were the sacrum (22.1%), heels (14.8%), ears (12.9%), elbows (10.6%), and the buttocks (6.8%). Forty-eight percent of the ulcers were stage I, 36% Stage II, 6% Stage III-IV, and 10% unable to stage.ConclusionsOverall combined pressure ulcer prevalence and common body locations were consistent with findings from comparable hospitals. Patients at the extreme ends of the age spectrum had an increased risk of pressure ulcers. Stage I and II ulcers occurred most frequently. Potential prevention and early management strategies may be effective in decreasing the prevalence of these ulcers.

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