A survey of skin disease among patients in an Australian nursing home

Abstract

Although the number of nursing homes is increasing in Australia, few studies have investigated the dermatologic condition of their patients. To address this issue, we conducted one of the first skin disease investigations of nursing home residents in Queensland, Australia.

Methods: Our predominant data source was the attending physicians' medical reports, which are updated monthly following their physical examination of each patient. Specialist podiatrists' monthly progress notes were also used as were daily nursing reports.

Results: Just over half the patients (54.4%) had at least one skin disease registered among their medical records. Xerosis (dry skin) was the most common affliction, affecting 29.5% of the patients, followed by onychomycosis (tinea unguium) at 22.5% and dermatitis (8.9%). Skin cancer was recorded in 4.9%, while excoriation (3.1%) and unspecified keratosis (2.2%) were slightly less common. Being bedridden was identified as a risk factor for both xerosis (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.8-8.7) and onychomycosis (OR 18.0, 95% Cl 7.5-49.0).

Conclusion: Overall, our research suggests that skin diseases are reasonably common among Australian nursing home patients. The presence of certain dermatologic conditions differed from other reports.