Are there racial-ethnic disparities in time to pressure ulcer development and pressure ulcer treatment in older adults after nursing home admission?

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess whether there are racial and ethnic disparities in the time to development of a pressure ulcer and number of pressure ulcer treatments in individuals aged 65 and older after nursing home admission. METHOD Multi-level predictors of time to a pressure ulcer from three national surveys were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression for White Non-Hispanic residents. Using the Peters-Belson method to assess for disparities, estimates from the regression models were applied to American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics separately resulting in estimates of expected outcomes as if they were White Non-Hispanic, and were then compared with their observed outcomes. RESULTS More Blacks developed pressure ulcers sooner than expected. No disparities in time to a pressure ulcer disadvantaging other racial/ethnic groups were found. There were no disparities in pressure ulcer treatment for any group. DISCUSSION Reducing disparities in pressure ulcer development offers a strategy to improve the quality of nursing home care.