Abstract
Background: Pressure injuries (PIs) are a significant burden on the health system worldwide, and represent a costly cycle of surgeries, recurrent hospitalisations, clinic visits and homecare needs (Shiferaw et al., 2002). PIs are a severe complication for multiple patients with reduced mobility and sensation; however, some populations, such as those with spinal cord injury (SCI), remain at high risk for PIs throughout their lifetime (Garber & Rintala., 2003). However, literature is scarce, and more work needs to be undertaken to understand the risk factors for PIs in order to reduce the development of pressure injuries amongst SCI patients.
Research question: This review aimed to identify the risk factors for PIs in SCI patients. The research question was to identify the risk factors for the development and recurrence of PIs amongst patients with a history of SCI using an integrative review framework.
Research Design: Electronic searches of PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, PsychInfo and Science direct from 2012-2021 were completed. Retrieved studies were assessed for eligibility and underwent the quality appraisal process; identified risk factors were then categorised into themes and findings were synthesised to draw an overall conclusion.
Findings: The eleven included studies encompassed 12 risk factors which were further grouped into three main themes: population characteristics, lifestyle factors, and biological factors. The first theme of population characteristics included risk factors such as gender and age of the participants. The second theme investigated lifestyle factors and included risk factors such as personal hygiene, employment status, education level, functional independence of participants, smoking and drinking habits, and access to specialised SCI centres. Lastly, the third theme explored the biological risk factors for PIs and included factors such as bladder and bowel incontinence, pulmonary complications and the AIS scale.
Conclusion: The study identified SCI-specific risk factors for the development and recurrence of PIs. However, some risk factors were observed as standalone findings and it is recommended that in the future, researchers distinctively investigate lifestyle risk factors to understand their impact on PI development.