Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the prevalence of friction injuries and associated factors in the elderly admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Method: a cross-sectional analytical study, developed in an Intensive Care Unit of a Teaching hospital, with a sample of 101 elderly. Data collection was conducted from November 2017 to May 2018, through interviews, consulting medical records and physical examination. For analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Strength of associations between variables measured by odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance level was set at 5% for all analyzes. Results: the sample studied had a mean age of 71.39 years, mostly male, married and without schooling, with more than one comorbidity, dependent, with dry and scaly skin and bruising on the extremities. The prevalence of friction injury was 28.7%, with an average of 1.93 injuries per elderly. There was a statistically significant association between the occurrence of friction injury with age, comorbidities, dry and scaly skin. Conclusion: the prevalence of friction injury was high and associated with age, comorbidities, dry and scaly skin, and mean duration of corticosteroid use.
Highlights
IntroductionFriction Injuries (FI) or skin tears are wounds caused by trauma, either by friction, bruising or shearing of the skin, which may lead to the appearance of partial thickness wounds, separation of the epidermis and dermis, or total separation between both underlying skin layers.[1]
Life expectancy in Brazil has increased in recent decades which has led to a greater number of elderly people who often need care through hospitalizations, which causes the problem of Friction Injuries (FI) in the elderly population to be worrying
It is hoped that the present investigation can contribute to the knowledge of the epidemiology of this injury in the studied service, strengthening the knowledge on the subject, and equipping nursing professionals for prevention and control actions, which will improve the care provided to the elderly patient population. Based on these initial considerations, this study aimed to analyze the prevalence of friction injuries and associated factors in the elderly admitted to the intensive care unit
Summary
Friction Injuries (FI) or skin tears are wounds caused by trauma, either by friction, bruising or shearing of the skin, which may lead to the appearance of partial thickness wounds, separation of the epidermis and dermis, or total separation between both underlying skin layers.[1] These injuries affect the more extremes of age, but especially the elderly, mainly due to the weaknesses of the body, caused by aging, such as the thinning of skin layers. Life expectancy in Brazil has increased in recent decades which has led to a greater number of elderly people who often need care through hospitalizations, which causes the problem of FI in the elderly population to be worrying This reality has stimulated several studies on this type of wound, with the intention of systematizing care. In Piauí, Brazil, there are no figures available for FI in hospitalized patients or in intensive care units (ICU), a research question appears, with a view to quantifying the magnitude of this complication in the hospital environment, especially in ICUs, since there is a lack of knowledge in the local and national literature on this theme
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