Document Information
Quality Indicators for Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers in Vulnerable Elders
Pressure ulcers can lead to pain, disfigurement, and slow recovery from comorbid conditions. They interfere with activities of daily living, predispose to osteomyelitis and septicemia, and are strongly associated with longer hospital stays and mortality. Frailty and chronic illness, both common among older adults, predispose to pressure ulcers. The prevalence of pressure ulcers is 10% to 14% among hospitalized patients of all ages and up to 24% among patients in nursing homes. One goal of Healthy People 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of pressure ulcers in nursing home patients by 50%. Prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers are an important aspect of care for vulnerable elders. This paper presents quality indicators for the prevention and care of pressure ulcers among vulnerable elders and the evidence supporting these indicators.
Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.
RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.
Originally published in: Annals of Internal Medicine, v.135, no. 8, pt. 2, October 16, 2001, pp. 744-751.
This product is part of the RAND Corporation reprint series. RAND reprints present previously published journal articles, book chapters, and reports with the permission of the publisher. RAND reprints have been formally reviewed in accordance with the publisher's editorial policy, and are compliant with RAND's rigorous quality assurance standards for quality and objectivity.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.
Top
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2008 RAND Corporation. 