The Incidence of Pressure Ulcers in the Emergency Department: A Metaanalysis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this meta-analysis was to estimate the incidence of pressure ulcers (PUs) in the emergency department (ED).

METHODS

The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases for all time leading up to February 2016. The incidence of PUs in the ED were collected, and the pooled incidence with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Six studies with 8 cohorts were included in this study. The incidence of PUs in the ED ranged from 0.38% to 19.1%. The pooled incidence was 6.310% (95% CI 4.658%-7.962%; Z = 7.49, P = 0.000) by the random-effects model (I2 = 98.2%, P = 0.000). Funnel plot, Begg's test (z = 0.37, P = 0.711) and Egger's test (t = 2.73, P = 0.034) suggested there was significant publication bias. Sensitivity analysis that included prospective studies showed the pooled incidence was 11.992% (95% CI 5.569%-18.415%; Z = 3.66, P = 0.000) by the random-effects model (I2 = 93.9%, P = 0.000).

CONCLUSION

Even for a short stay in the ED, developing a PU is a common complication. The figures of this meta-analysis may be useful in the estimation of the PU burden in the ED.