Prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries in emergency services: A systematic review protocol

AimTo develop a systematic review protocol on the prevalence and/or the incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries in adult patients in emergency services.Materials and methodsThis protocol was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items Form Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews of prevalence and incidence studies. The inclusion criteria will be based on the CoCoPop mnemonic. The main variables of interest will be the “prevalence” and/or the “incidence” of “pressure ulcers/injuries” (Condition) reported in studies developed in emergency services (Context), with participants aged 18 or more (Population). This Systematic Review Protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CDR42021252906).ResultsIf meta-analysis is not possible, the syntheses of quantitative data will be presented in a narrative form to address the scope and objectives of this systematic review. Tables, graphs and/or figures will be designed to present the results of the prevalence and the incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries, their body locations and the respective categories/stages. The Systematic Review is currently ongoing.ConclusionsPrevalence and incidence systematic reviews are an emerging methodology in the field of evidence synthesis. We believe that the systematic review on prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries in emergency services can provide useful information for healthcare professionals and policy makers about the dimension of this problem in a specific context. The standardized approach outlined in this systematic review protocol offers a rigorous and transparent method to conduct the review.     

A systematic review of prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries in hospital emergency services

AimTo develop a systematic review on the prevalence and the incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries in adult patients in hospital emergency services.Materials and methodsSystematic review of prevalence and incidence studies developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items Form Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols and the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The inclusion criteria were based on the CoCoPop mnemonic. The main variables of interest were the “prevalence” and/or the “incidence” of “pressure ulcers/injuries” (Condition) reported in studies developed in hospital emergency services (Context) with adult participants (Population). The Systematic Review Protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CDR42021252906).ResultsThe pressure ulcer/injury (point) prevalence ranged from 5.2% (at admission) to 12.3% (at discharge) and the pressure ulcer/injury incidence ranged from 4.5% to 78.4%. Most of the pressure ulcers/injuries documented were category/stage I. The most problematic anatomical locations were the sacrococcygeal region and the heels. The preventive measures should be implemented as soon as possible and are important in patients older than 75 years, with multiple comorbidities, high C-Reative Protein levels, cervical spine immobilization, presented to hospital emergency service by ambulance or with hypotension at the time of admission.ConclusionsThe prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers/injuries in hospital emergency services remains an understudied topic which could limit the generalization of our data. This systematic review highlighted that the management of pressure ulcers/injuries is a real and current challenge in hospital emergency services. It is important to identify the patients at (higher) risk to establish an (earlier) preventive care plan according to patients and emergency services’ characteristics.