Pressure ulcer prevalence rates from 2002 to 2008 in German long-term care facilities.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pressure ulcers continue to be an important issue in long-term care facilities. Besides quality initiatives (implementation of guidelines) and increased public awareness of the problem, little is known about the actual extent of the problem in Germany. The aim of this study is to provide information on the magnitude of this problem and to show whether there have been any changes through the years 2002 to 2008. In addition we wanted to know if the results were representative.

METHODS: 18,706 residents in 218 long-term care facilities (response rate 77.5%). Skin examination of each resident by qualified trained nurses after informed consent was given by resident or proxy. Application of Chi-square tests, chi-square trend tests and one-way ANOVA to assess differences and trends across the years. Comparisons of study samples with data characterizing the potential population.

RESULTS: Regarding gender, age, and pressure ulcer risk, the yearly samples were comparable. Pressure ulcer prevalence rates decreased from 12.5% (year 2002) to 5.0% (year 2008) (p<0.001). Prevalence rates, excluding non-blanchable erythema, decreased from 6.6% (year 2002) to 3.5% (year 2008) (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Pressure ulcer prevalence in German long-term care facilities decreased from 2002 to 2008. It is highly probable that this decrease was due to more effective strategies and better prevention.