Acta Medica Europa, cilt.6, sa.2, ss.24-28, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
A pressure ulcer is defined as an injury to the skin and/or underlying tissues caused by pressure or friction. Pressure ulcers can cause significant economic losses to society, they can also increase individual morbidity. Since surgery and other approaches become important, especially in advanced stage pressure ulcers, it is important to know the risk factors that cause pressure ulcers as well as the factors that may cause it to progress. In this study, we will try to determine the frequency of pressure ulcers in the internal medicine intensive care unit of a training and research hospital in Turkey. We will also examine the relationship between factors that we think may increase the progression of pressure ulcers and pressure ulcer stages. In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, the files of 1224 patients who were treated in the internal medicine intensive care unit between 01/06/2022-01/06/2023 were retrospectively scanned. In the current study, it was determined that 22.39% of the patients hospitalized in the internal medicine intensive care unit had a pressure ulcer. Additionally, no statistically significant relationship was found between the pressure ulcer stage and the demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters of the patients (p>0.05). As a result, pressure ulcers continue to be an important problem for both individuals and society, despite the improvement in patient care. Since reducing pressure ulcers is a team effort, we think it is important for all stakeholders to work multidisciplinary.