Success in hospital-acquired pressure ulcer prevention: a tale in two data sets.
Smith S, Snyder A, McMahon LF, et al. Success In Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcer Prevention: A Tale In Two Data Sets. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018;37(11):1787-1796. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0712.
Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) are considered a never event, represent a significant source of patient harm, and can result in loss of payment to hospitals. In this study, researchers analyzed administrative data from 3 states for 2009 to 2014. The HAPU incidence they found was about one-twentieth of the HAPU incidence detected using chart review. In addition, while both chart review data and administrative data showed a reduction in HAPU incidence for the study period, the decline using administrative data was almost entirely due to a decrease in the incidence of lower stage pressure ulcers. The authors suggest that using clinical data from chart review and taking ulcer severity into account may yield a more meaningful measurement strategy.