A large study examining the prevalence of incontinence-associated dermatitis has found long-term care facilities report much lower rates of the skin-eroding condition.
A study of more than 56,000 patient records from 818 facilities in the U.S. and Canada found that long-term care homes had a 5.3% IAD rate, compared to a rate of 9.1% in long-term acute care facilities.
Those findings came despite the fact that long-term care settings had higher rates of incontinence. Researchers affiliated with healthcare equipment provider Hillrom reported two possible explanations.
“First, long-term care facilities might have better standard care prevention strategies in place to prevent IAD, because incontinence is more commonplace,” they wrote in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing. “The second explanation may be that long-term care facilities may not document IAD as frequently.”
Studies have found IAD rates from 5.2% to 46%. The authors called for a standardized definition of IAD prevalence and reporting guidelines. They suggested the reporting rate be tied to the percentage of incontinent patients.
They also noted factors that increase a patient’s likelihood of developing IAD. For each 20 kg increase in weight, risk rose by 7%; each five added days of stay linked to an 11% rise; and each additional layer of linen on a bed increased likelihood by 8.3%.
From the September 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
