review · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the global prevalence of pressure ulcers among patients with spinal cord injury. Pressure ulcers are a significant public health issue for this patient group, causing psychological, physical, and social burdens, and reducing quality of life. Researchers systematically searched multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, following PRISMA guidelines. They analysed 24 studies involving over 600,000 participants. The findings revealed that the global pooled prevalence of pressure ulcers among spinal cord injury patients was 32.36%. Subgroup analysis indicated that Africa had the highest prevalence, at 41.19%. The study concludes that approximately one in three patients with spinal cord injury worldwide experience pressure ulcers, highlighting a substantial global burden.
Pressure ulcers significantly reduce the quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries and place a considerable strain on healthcare systems. Understanding their global prevalence, particularly in regions like Africa where rates are highest, is crucial for policymakers and healthcare providers to design effective, context-specific prevention strategies and improve patient care.
This research provides epidemiological data highlighting a significant unmet need in healthcare for spinal cord injury patients. The findings could inform the development of targeted preventive strategies, medical devices, or wound care products aimed at reducing pressure ulcer incidence. This is early-stage epidemiological research, providing foundational data that could guide future applied research and product development efforts in the medical technology and healthcare sectors.
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Abstract Background Pressure ulcers (PU), one of the common challenging public health problems affecting patient with spinal cord injury. PUs occurs over bony areas of the body where pressure and tissue distortion is greatest. It has a significant impact to the patient and health care system. Moreover, it has psychological, physical, social burden and decrease the quality of life (QoL) of patients. Despite its serious complications, limited evidence is available on the global magnitude of pressure ulcers among patient with spinal cord injury. Hence, this review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the global magnitude of pressure ulcers among patient with spinal cord injury. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were systematically searched to retrieve related articles. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline was followed. DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was applied to obtain the pooled effect size. To investigate heterogeneity across the included studies, I 2 test was employed. Publication bias was examined using funnel plot and Egger’s regression test statistic. Sensitivity analysis was deployed to see the effect of a single study on the overall estimation. Analysis was done using STATA™ Version 14 software. Results A total of 24 studies which comprises of 600,078 participants were included in this study. The global pooled magnitude of pressure ulcers among patients with spinal cord injury was 32.36% (95% CI (28.21, 36.51%)). Based on the subgroup analysis, the highest magnitude of pressure ulcer was observed in Africa 41.19% (95% CI: 31.70, 52.18). Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that about one in three patients with spinal cord injury had pressure ulcers. This implies that the overall global magnitude of pressure ulcer is relatively high. Therefore, policy maker and other concerned body should be design country context- specific preventive strategies to reduce the burden of pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord injury.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12891-020-03369-0
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