African-Americans suffer more from pressure ulcers in nursing homes: Study

Poor Nursing home condition are the most likely reason for high pressure ulcer occurrence among American-Americans admitted in nursing homes.

In a new study, Black residents were found to be more susceptible to pressure ulcers in high-risk nursing homes, then the white residents. The study was published in the July 13 issue of JAMA.

The study was conducted by Yue Li, PhD, from the Division of General Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iaowa and his associates. The author explains that the quality improvement programs had been instituted in nursing homes but, the its effects on racial disparities is still unclear. Earlier studies showed that black residents admitted in nursing homes were at a higher risk for pressure ulcers, since a major portion of them had scarce clinical and financial resources.

In 2002, National nursing home quality improvement and public reporting programs started. To understand the effect of these quality improvement efforts on racial disparities, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study. They examined a data of 2.1 million white residents and 346,808 black residents from 12,473 certified nursing homes in the US. Nursing homes resident assessment like online surveys, certification, and reporting files between 2003 to 2008, were used by nursing homes included in the trial.

Researchers found an overall decrease in pressure ulcer rates between 2003 and 2008. However, the percentage of black residents affected by pressure ulcer was higher than white residents. In 2003, there were 16.8 percent blacks and 11.4 percent whites, which came down to 14.6 percent and 9.6 percent for blacks and white respectively, in 2008.

Nursing homes with more black residents showed a higher number of pressure ulcer cases. Homes with fewer than 5 percent black residents showed less number of pressure ulcers cases in both blacks and whites.

Li and his colleagues acknowledged limits of the study. They said more research is needed to address the larger issue of quality of care in nursing homes.