LAUSR

AIM To analyze patient factors and nurse staffing-related issues involving hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) in patients at two types of hospital. BACKGROUND HAPUs are important for the safety of hospitalized patients. HAPUs not only cause health problems, but also pose an economic burden to patients. In addition to patient factors such as mobility and skin integrity, hospital factors such as nurse staffing can also affect the management of such patients. DESIGN This study is a retrospective review of patient data and analysis of factors related to HAPUs using stratified Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS A total of 53,923 patients were included. The incidence of HAPUs was 0.98 per 1,000 days. HAPUs were affected by gender, age, previous falls, low oxygen levels, positioning, and toilet use. When the levels of nurse staffing was determined as one of the hospital factors, the daily hours of patient care was increased thereby contributing to the reduced incidents of HAPUs. CONCLUSION Strategies for preventing HAPUs should be based on the analysis of risk factors. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Most individual risk factors for HAPUs identified cannot be modified easily in a short time. Nurse staffing should be set at adequate levels to prevent HAPUs.