Improving the detection of stage I pressure ulcers by enhancing digital color images.

It has been observed in previous studies that the detection of stage I pressure ulcers becomes more difficult by unaided visual inspection and/or by using currently available techniques with darker skin subjects, due to increased melanin content. This difficulty is indicated by the elevated proportion of black and hispanic patients developing more serious stage III and IV pressure ulcers compared to white patients. The ultimate goal of this project, undertaken by MARC at the University of Virginia, is to develop a low-cost, non-contact imaging-based stage I pressure ulcer detection system for use by support staff in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities to increase the ulcer detection rate over a wide range of skin colors.