Pressure injuries during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A retrospective, case-control study.
Mònica Sianes-Gallén, Anna María Pujol-García, Montserrat Rus García and 10 others
PMID 34389188WHAT IT FOUND
In hospitalised patients with SARS-CoV-2, skin injury development was linked to greater dependence on others, lower oxygen saturation at triage, and longer stay.
Nurses should flag these patients for skin-injury prevention early.
Key findings
01After adjustment, three factors were linked to developing dependency-related injuries: lower Barthel index, meaning more dependence on others, lower oxygen saturation on room air at triage, and longer hospital stay.
02Among 136 injuries in 94 cases, 99 were pressure injuries, 122 were mild, and 63 were on the sacrum.
03Several laboratory and vital-sign variables did not differ significantly between cases and controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a retrospective record review from one hospital, so it can show associations but not prove that low oxygen saturation, dependency or length of stay caused injuries. Only 284 of 1987 patients were analysed, and cases were selected by chronological matching rather than random sampling. Some laboratory and clinical data were missing, and variables with up to 15% missing data were reported. Patients under 18 and those with injuries before admission were excluded, so it does not apply to those groups. Injury detection and classification came from record review and consensus, not a blinded prospective assessment.
Declared interests
No specific grant was received, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these factors cause skin injuries. The study was a retrospective case-control record review and found associations among hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 patients.