Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan-Feb;38(1):19-24.
doi: 10.1097/ASW.0000000000000259. Epub 2025 Jan 20.

Healthcare Costs of Pressure Injuries among Patients with a Spinal Cord Injury within a Dutch Rehabilitation Center

Boas J Wijker  1 , Sonja de Groot, Anne-Fleur Boertje, Jacinthe J E Adriaansen, Wendy J Achterberg-Warmer, Amber Wighman, Maurits W van Tulder, Thomas W J Janssen, Johanna M van Dongen
Affiliations

Healthcare Costs of Pressure Injuries among Patients with a Spinal Cord Injury within a Dutch Rehabilitation Center

Boas J Wijker et al. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2025 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the healthcare costs of pressure injuries (PIs) among patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in a Dutch rehabilitation center and determine if those costs were associated with patients' age or sex.

Methods: The direct healthcare costs of PIs were estimated using data from electronic health records of a Dutch rehabilitation center. This dataset contained demographic, clinical, and resource use information of all patients with an SCI or a PI who were treated at the rehabilitation center because of a PI between 2009 and 2022. Standard prices were used to value inpatient rehabilitation, whereas a micro-costing approach was used to value outpatient consultations and material costs. Using ordinary least squares regression analyses, the authors assessed whether the costs were associated with age and sex, after correcting for the patients' length of PI care.

Results: Between 2009 and 2022, 409 patients with an SCI were treated at the rehabilitation center for a PI. The patients' mean total length of PI care was 883 ± 1,266 days (median, 137 days; interquartile range, 10-1,620). The mean total rehabilitation cost of PIs among these patients was €15,412 (USD $16,836) per patient with a mean total annual rehabilitation cost of €6,368 (USD $6,956) per patient. Costs were not significantly associated with age and sex.

Conclusions: The healthcare costs of PIs among patients with an SCI in a Dutch rehabilitation center represent a significant economic burden. Prevention of PIs seems warranted, not only from a clinical perspective, but also from a health economic perspective.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Regan M, Teasell RW, Keast D, Aubut JAL, Foulon B, Metha S. Pressure ulcers following spinal cord injury. In: SCIRE Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Evidence. ResearchGate; 2015:1–48.
    1. European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance. Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries: Clinical Practice Guideline. The International Guideline. Haesler E, ed. EPUAP/NPIAP/PPPIA; 2019.
    1. Gilsdorf P, Patterson R, Fisher S. Thirty-minute continuous sitting force measurements with different support surfaces in the spinal cord injured and able-bodied. J Rehabil Res Dev 1991;28(4):33–8.
    1. Wyndaele M, Wyndaele JJ. Incidence, prevalence and epidemiology of spinal cord injury: what learns a worldwide literature survey? Spinal Cord 2006;44(9):523–9.
    1. CBS Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics. Bevolkingsteller. Jan 2023. https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/visualisaties/dashboard-bevolking. Last accessed November 18, 2024.

MeSH terms