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Article: Performing under pressure: caring for decubitus ulcers.(OPERATING ROOM)
- Article from:
- Healthcare Purchasing News
- Article date:
- August 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Healthcare Purchasing News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) declared that hospital stays of patients with pressure ulcers are on the rise. (1) From 1993 to 2006, there was nearly a whopping 80% increase. Adult stays totaled an astounding $11 billion in hospital costs. (1) That's a lot of money; more importantly, it represents a lot of human suffering.
The AHRQ's report also stated that "more than 90% of pressure-ulcer--related stays among adults were for the principal treatment of other conditions, such as septicemia, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection," meaning the patient did not have the pressure ulcer before admission to the hospital. ...