Factors associated with pressure ulcers among middle-old and oldest-old inpatients in an acute care hospital.

With the aging population, the majority of patients in acute care hospitals in high-income countries are older adults. To identify the factors associated with pressure ulcers among patients aged ≥ 75 years in an acute care hospital,we conducted a retrospective study using individual-level secondary data obtained from patient medical and nursing records. The study population was patients aged ≥ 75 years who were admitted to the hospital between March 2016 and February 2021. We fitted multivariable logistic regression models. A total of 15,258 were included in the analysis, and 513 (3.4%) patients were with pressure ulcers. The factors associated with pressure ulcers were Body Mass Index (adjusted OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93-0.98); albumin level (0.51, 0.42-0.63); cardiovascular disease (2.10, 1.57-2.82); infection (1.91, 1.07-3.42); bedridden (1.85, 1.01-3.39); using bed when moving (0.45, 0.25-0.84); fecal or urine incontinence (2.44, 1.46-4.06); admission to the emergency medicine (1.71, 1.06-2.74); length of stay (1.02, 1.01-1.02); and tube feeding (2.02, 1.44-2.82). Low nutritional status, low activity levels, incontinence, cardiovascular disease, infection, admission to the emergency medicine, and more extended hospital stay were significantly associated with pressure ulcers. Therefore, nurses in acute care should carefully monitor the patients aged ≥ 75 years with these factors.