Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence pattern of pressure injuries (PIs), or ‘sores’, in South Korea and investigate the factors affecting its development. We estimated the annual prevalence of PIs using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database from 2009 to 2015. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between hospitalization and socio-demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, type of health insurance, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and plegia comorbidity. We found that inpatients with PIs make up to 0.86% of the total population in South Korea in 2015, which had shown a steady increase from the previous years. And male, old age, low socioeconomic status (SES), and the patients’ severity such as high CCI and the plegia comorbidity were strongly associated with hospitalization due to PI. Based on our results, it would be anticipated that the medical cost for treatment and management of PIs will increase in the future, and it will be accelerated due to the rapidly aging society. In addition, patients in low SES and patients with severe comorbidities would be relatively more burdensome, threatening their household economy and further reducing the quality of life. Therefore, PIs should not be overlooked as the responsibility of just the nursing care professionals but should be recognized as one of the serious societal problems. The establishment of an intense medical care system is needed not only to reduce the prevalence of PIs but also to increase the awareness in people with PI patients.
Highlights
A pressure injury (PI), referred to by the public as a “sore”, is a localized injury to the underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, due to pressure
The prevalence of PI inpatients among total population steadily increased from 0.74% in 2009 to 0.86% in 2015, except for the period from 2010 to 2012
This study has for the first time revealed the increasing prevalence of PIs among the total population of South Korea
Summary
A pressure injury (PI), referred to by the public as a “sore”, is a localized injury to the underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, due to pressure. As well as ischemic damage due to the compression of the artery, the occlusion of lymphatic vessels, shearing or friction force, and unregulated moisture are known to cause a PI [1,2]. The elderly, acutely ill, and spinal cord–injured patients are known to be vulnerable to PIs [3]. A PI can lead to chronic pain, as well as premature death. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 704; doi:10.3390/ijerph16050704 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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