Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries And Factors Affecting Their Development: Multicentre Study

Introduction: hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU) represent a significant public health challenge. Understanding their main characteristics and related factors is essential for effective prevention. This article aims to analyse the main characteristics of HAPUs in four high-complexity hospital centres in Chile.Methods: secondary, analytical observational study. The sample (n=1000) included paediatric and adult patients. The study variables were the presence of HAPU, age, sex, dermatitis, risk of HAPU, change of position, pressure relief surface, immobilisation and speed of onset. Measurement of variables included physical examination and chart review. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression models were performed, accepting 95%CI, p<0,05.Results: a crude prevalence of 18,7 % was estimated. Most patients with HAPU were male (56,1 %), aged 18-59 years (39,6 %) and 60-80 years (39,0 %). On average, ten days elapsed from patient admission to the development of HAPU The most common stage was stage I (50 %), and the sacral region was the most frequent site of occurrence (30,1 %). The factor with the strongest association with having HAPU was having a high ulceration risk classification (OR 2,6, 95%CI1,5-4,4).Conclusions: this is the first study in Chile that showed the characterization of HAPU in a relevant sample of hospitalized patients. The relevant representative aspects for monitoring and preventing HAPU as its prevalence, location and factors associated with its appearance