Health care systems around the world are challenged
to maintain quality outcomes in the wake
of decreasing resources. This challenge comes at a
time when the global population is aging and the
rates of hip fractures are rising. World wide projections
of hip fractures, while declining since predictions
made in the early 90’s, still represent a
significant health imperative with more recent analysis
of trends suggesting that by the year 2050 numbers
could reach as high as 1.04 million hip fractures
annually in the U.S. alone (Brown et al., 2012). A national
survey revealed a pressure ulcer rate of 20.6%
for those older adults undergoing orthopedic surgery
(Chen et al., 2012). A Pan European study of older
patients hospitalized with hip fracture reported
pressure ulcer prevalence at 10% on admission and
22% at discharge (Lindholm et al., 2008). Every year
in the US approximately 2.5 million patients are
treated for pressure ulcers in acute care settings.