Work

The incidence and prevalence rates of pressure ulcers in the paediatric population: A meta-review of systematic reviews

Year: 2025

Type: review

Abstract: AIM: This meta-review examined the incidence and prevalence rates of pressure ulcers in paediatric populations, to place in context the scope of the problem in this cohort of patients. The findings provide a foundation for future research on early factors contributing to paediatric pressure ulcers, aiming to improve understanding and prevention. METHOD: A protocol for this study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. This meta-review followed the recommendations from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. A comprehensive electronic literature search was undertaken of seven databases in February 2025. Search terms and keywords were identified to try and identify as many relevant articles as possible. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and articles which were identified were critically appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for systematic reviews. Individual studies were extracted from the systematic reviews, duplicates were removed manually. From these individual studies, data points were identified for extraction and inclusion in this meta-review. Reported incidence and prevalence rates were broken into categories based on the type of pressure ulcer: hospital-acquired, medical device-related and tracheostomy-related pressure ulcers. RESULTS: Five systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Three types of pressure ulcers were discussed in the included studies: hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, medical device-related pressure ulcers, and tracheostomy-related pressure ulcers. Pooled incidence and prevalence rates were calculated using the STATA application and the Metaprop command. The pooled incidence rate for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers was 8 % (95 % Confidence Interval [CI]: 4 %-13 %), and for medical device-related pressure ulcers was 9 % (95 % CI: 2 %-19 %). The pooled prevalence rate for hospital-acquired pressure ulcers was 8 % (95 % CI: 5 %-12 %), and for medical device-related pressure ulcers was 10 % (95 % CI: 1 %-26 %). Studies related to tracheostomy-related pressure ulcers showed a pooled risk ratio of 0.35 (95 % CI 0.26-0.49). CONCLUSION: Pressure ulcers are a concern in paediatric populations, with comparable incidence and prevalence rates between hospital-acquired and medical device-related pressure ulcers. Children with tracheostomies face a significantly higher risk of developing pressure ulcers, highlighting the need for tailored preventive interventions. The findings here point to the need for vigilant preventive measures and tailored interventions to safeguard the well-being of young patients against pressure ulcers.

Source: Journal of Tissue Viability

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtv.2025.100962

Authors: Lauren Vickers, Carol Hilliard, Rosemarie Derwin, Fiona Boland, Zena Moore, Aglecia Moda Vitoriano Budri