Overview

Uninterrupted pressure exerted on the skin, soft tissue, muscle, and bone can lead to the development of localized ischemia, tissue inflammation, shearing, anoxia, and necrosis. Pressure ulcers affect up to three million adults in the U.S. Pressure ulcer healing rates-which depend on comorbidities, clinical interventions, and ulcer severity-vary considerably. Ulcer severity is assessed using a variety of different staging or grading systems, but the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) staging system is the most commonly used. Comorbidities predisposing toward pressure ulcer development and affecting ulcer healing include those affecting patient mobility (e.g., spinal cord injury), wound environments (e.g., incontinence), and wound healing (e.g., diabetes and vascular disease). Delayed healing can add to the length of hospitalization and impede return to full functioning. Prevalence of pressure ulcers is used as an indicator of quality for long-term care facilities, and progression of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients is often considered an avoidable complication representing failure of inpatient management. Given the negative impact pressure ulcers have on health status and patient quality of life, as well as health care costs, treatments are needed that promote healing, shorten healing time, and minimize the risk of complications. Pressure ulcer treatment involves a variety of different approaches, including interventions to treat the conditions that give rise to pressure ulcers (support surfaces and nutritional support); interventions to protect and promote healing of the ulcer (wound dressings, topical applications, and various adjunctive therapies, including vacuum-assisted closure, ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy); and surgical repair of the ulcer. Most ulcers are treated using a combination of these approaches. The following Key Questions are the focus of our report. KQ1. In adults with pressure ulcers, what is the comparative effectiveness of treatment strategies for improved health outcomes, including but not limited to: complete wound healing, healing time, reduced wound surface area, pain, and prevention of serious complications of infection? KQ1a. Does the comparative effectiveness of treatment strategies differ according to features of the pressure ulcers, such as anatomic site or severity at baseline? KQ1b. Does the comparative effectiveness of treatment strategies differ according to patient characteristics, including but not limited to: age, race/ethnicity, body weight, specific medical comorbidities, and known risk factors for pressure ulcers, such as functional ability, nutritional status, or incontinence? KQ1c. Does the comparative effectiveness of treatment strategies differ according to patient care settings, such as home, nursing facility, or hospital, or according to features of patient care settings, including but not limited to nurse/patient staffing ratio, staff education and training in wound care, the use of wound care teams, and home caregiver support and training? KQ2. What are the harms of treatments for pressure ulcers? KQ2a. Do the harms of treatment strategies differ according to features of the pressure ulcers, such as anatomic site or severity at baseline? KQ2b. Do the harms of treatment strategies differ according to patient characteristics, including age, race/ethnicity, body weight, specific medical comorbidities, and known risk factors for pressure ulcers, such as functional ability, nutritional status, or incontinence? KQ2c. Do the harms of treatment strategies differ according to patient care settings, such as home, nursing facility, or hospital, or according to features of patient care settings, including but not limited to nurse/patient staffing ratio, staff education and training in wound care, the use of wound care teams, and home caregiver support and training?

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