Incidence of pressure injuries in clinical and surgical patients in Tocantins: a retrospective study

Abstract

Pressure injuries (PIs) are significant adverse events related to health care, associated with increased morbimortality, prolonged hospitalization, and elevated care costs. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence of pressure injuries in patients admitted to the medical, surgical, and orthopedic wards of a public hospital in the state of Tocantins. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted through the review of medical records of adult inpatients between January and June 2023. A total of 938 records of patients hospitalized for more than 24 hours were analyzed. The variables investigated included sex, age group, underlying disease, and anatomical location of the injury. The incidence of PI was 2.23% (21/938), with a predominance in female patients (61.9%) and in patients aged 80 to 89 years. The sacral and gluteal regions were the most frequently recorded locations. Patients with neurological diseases, pneumonia, and bone fractures presented higher frequencies of PI. The findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limitations inherent to retrospective studies based on medical records, including underreporting and inconsistencies in clinical documentation. It is concluded that the occurrence of PI was primarily associated with advanced age, presence of comorbidities, and reduced mobility, reinforcing the need for individualized preventive strategies, improvement of clinical record quality, and strengthening of institutional prevention protocols.