Vulnerability to Decubitus Ulcers and Their Association With Healthcare Utilization: Evidence From Nationwide Inpatient Sample Dataset From 2016 to 2020 in US Hospitals.

Objective: The aim of the study is to identify vulnerable populations at risk of developing decubitus ulcers and their resultant increase in healthcare utilization to promote the use of early prevention methods.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample of the United States was used to identify hospitalized patients across the country who had a length of stay of 5 or more days (N = 9,757,245, weighted N = 48,786,216) from 2016 to 2020. We examined the characteristics of the entire inpatient sample based on the presence of decubitus ulcers, temporal trends, risk of decubitus ulcer development, and its association with healthcare utilization, measured by discounted hospital charges and length of stay.