Bed Sores and Associated Factors among Patients Admitted at Surgical Ward

Background: Bed sore has long been recognized as major cause of morbidity, mortality and health care burden globally and worst in developing countries like India. Bed sore is a localized injury to skin and underlying tissues due to pressure or friction and its incidence is affected by multiple factors. Objective: This study was aimed to assess magnitude of bed sore and associated factors among patients admitted to surgical ward. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 hospital admitted patients in a tertiary care hospital. After taking the informed consent from all patients, data was collected through a self-structured proforma. Data analysis was done via SPSS version 25. Chi square test was utilized to assess the association between bed sores and potential risk factors. Result: 12 patients or 12% among 100 admitted patients developed bedsore. Bed sores incidence was significantly associated with age group (p=0.002), socioeconomic status (p=0.002), hospital stay length (p=0.002), limitation in movement (p=0.0001), diabetes mellitus (p=0.03), chronic kidney disease (p=0.04), obesity (p=0.001), history of hypertension (p=0.002), history of stroke (p=0.02), whereas, bed sores were not associated with gender significantly (p=0.40). Conclusion: The incidence of bed sores was significantly high among study population. Predisposing factors to the bed sores were advanced age, lower socioeconomic status, and longer hospital stay, limitation in movement, diabetes mellitus, obesity, history of hypertension, and history of stroke. Recommendations: This study recommends that frequent positioning of the patient and health education for patients from rural areas and special and frequent care for those unable to care for themselves were needed to minimize occurrence of bed sore. Obese patients should reduce weight. All patients, especially diabetic patients, should take care of skin.