Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the occurrence rate of pressure ulcers in community-resident persons with spinal cord injury after discharge from hospital, and to determine the risk factors for pressure ulcers from the perspective of personal and lifestyle factors.
Methods: This study included 310 community-resident persons with spinal cord injury who had undertaken rehabilitation treatment and were discharged from hospital between January 1996 and December 2005. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to all subjects. The risk factors for pressure ulcers were investigated retrospectively on the basis of the self-administered questionnaire and the patients’ medical records.
Results: The questionnaire recovery rate was 51%, and about half of the subjects reported experiencing pressure ulcers after discharge. The identified significant factors associated with pressure ulcers were transversal extension, history of pressure ulcer during hospital stay, amount of assistance required at the time of the survey, frequency of going outdoors, and driving a vehicle by oneself.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that complete paralysis, a history of pressure ulcers, an increasing need of assistance, and a lower level of activity are risk factors in community-resident persons with spinal cord injury.
