Effectively Addressing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries With a Multidisciplinary Approach
Effectively Addressing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries With a Multidisciplinary Approach
Cost Impact
Risk of readmissions, mortality, and hospital-acquired conditions across hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) stages in a US National Hospital Discharge database
This 2020 national hospital database study concluded that each hospital-acquired pressure injury added about $21,767 in hospital cost per patient versus no pressure injury, equal to about $30,000 in 2026 dollars.
Trends in inpatient burden from pressure injuries in the United : Cross‐sectional study National Inpatient Sample 2009–2019
Overall, the annual prevalence of pressure injuries and annual mean hospitalization cost increased ($69,499.29 to $102,939.14).
Hospitalizations Related to Pressure Ulcers among Adults 18 Years and Older, 2006
AHRQ HCUP data show pressure-ulcer–related adult hospitalizations carried materially higher utilization and cost: mean stay 12.7–14.1 days vs 5.0 days without pressure ulcers, and mean cost per stay $16,800–$20,400 vs $9,900. Over half were discharged to long-term care, and mortality was higher.
Pressure Ulcers: Impact on Hospital Costs and Length of Stay
This University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital study found that developing a hospital-acquired Stage II+ pressure ulcer was associated with substantially higher hospital costs and longer stays. Mean unadjusted costs were $37,288 vs $13,924 and LOS 30.4 vs 12.8 days. Even after adjustment, costs and LOS remained significantly higher.
Using Pressure Mapping to Optimize Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury Prevention Strategies in the Burn Intensive care unit
This Hopkins burn ICU study found that implementing real-time pressure mapping reduced HAPI-related care costs from about $6,750 to $3,800 per patient. These savings reflect direct pressure-injury treatment costs only (e.g., wound care), not systemic complications or extended hospitalization, and were driven by fewer and less severe pressure injuries
Pressure Ulcers, Hospital Complications, and Disease Severity: Impact on Hospital Costs and Length of Stay
This UAB tertiary teaching-hospital study found that patients who developed hospital-acquired pressure ulcers incurred substantially higher costs and longer stays. Adjusted analyses showed costs of $29,048 vs $13,819 and length of stay of 20.9 vs 12.7 days, confirming pressure ulcers independently drive excess inpatient utilization beyond baseline severity.
High cost of stage IV pressure ulcers
This study from NYU School of Medicine found Stage IV pressure ulcers cost about $125k–$129k per patient in hospital treatment costs when ulcer-related complications were included. These costs are far higher than prior estimates and emphasize early recognition and treatment to stop progression to Stage IV and avoid extreme, non-reimbursed “never event” costs.
Cost of Treating Pressure Ulcers for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury
“In a VA study of veterans with spinal cord injury, the presence of a pressure injury increased average health care costs by $77,587 compared to those without, driven by higher inpatient costs, emphasizing the need for prevention.”
Value of hospital resources for effective pressure injury prevention: a cost-effective analysis
This peer-reviewed BMJ Quality & Safety cost-effectiveness study analyzed 34,000+ hospital patients and quantified the financial impact of severe pressure injuries. It reported that Stage 3–4 (full-thickness) pressure injuries add about $6,209 per patient-day, underscoring the high daily cost burden and the value of effective, hospital-wide prevention.