Pressure ulcer prevention devices in the management of older patients at risk after hospital discharge: an SNDS study

Objective: Our aim was to measure the effectiveness of home healthcare pressure ulcer (PU) prevention devices (PUPDs) for at-risk patients after hospital discharge in France.

Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis of PU-associated hospitalisations based on the French medico-administrative database (Système National des Données de Santé, SNDS), which covers the entire French population. All adults >70 years of age, hospitalised from 1 July to 31 December 2015, and equipped with a medical bed at home, were included. Follow-up was for a maximum of 18 months. Propensity score matching allowed the comparison of PUPD equipped and non-equipped groups (No-PUPD), considering sociodemographic characteristics and other factors.

Results: The study included 43,078 patients. Of this population, 54% were PUPD patients and 46% No-PUPD. After matching, PUPD patients had significantly fewer PUs than No-PUPD patients (5.5% versus 8.9%, respectively; p<0.001). The adoption of PUPD reduced by 39% the risk of a PU in hospital. Patients equipped within the first 30 days at home after hospitalisation had fewer PUs than those equipped later (4.8% versus 5.9%, respectively). The estimated PUPD use costs represented 1% of total healthcare expenditure per patient during the study period.

Conclusion: The study results demonstrated the effectiveness of the adoption of mattress toppers or prevention mattresses in reducing PU occurrence in patients aged >70 years of age. A short delay in PUPD delivery appeared to have a real impact in the medical setting. Future research on a larger population might provide more evidence on the appropriate support and timeframe to choose based on risk assessment.