ABSTRACT
The number of people in the United States with pressure ulcers is unclear. A monograph on pressure ulcer incidence and prevalence from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (1) found a wide range of reported rates, often varying by practice site: incidence, 0.4–38% in general acute care; 2.2–23.9% in long-term care; and 0–17% in home health care; prevalence, 10–18% in general acute care; 2.3–28% in long-term care; and 0–29% in home health care. These data should be viewed with caution, however, as variations in staging definitions, data sources used, and methodologies make it difficult to compare studies. The best estimates suggest that 2.5 million pressure ulcers are treated annually among hospitalized patients, with total annual costs of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers estimated at $ 2.2 billion to $ 3.6 billion (2).
