Wounds and Associated Factors in Hospitalized Patients at an Oncology Center: A Cross-Sectional Study

Yesly Johana Rincón Torres; Carol Viviana Serna González; Daniela Stephania Pico Hernández; Elizabeth Ochoa Rodríguez; Paula Cristina Nogueira; Vera Lucia Conceição de Gouveia Santos; Sandra Guerrero Gamboa

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.11818

##article.authors##

Yesly Johana Rincón Torres National University of Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6415-1295
Carol Viviana Serna González University of São Paulo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9850-3030
Daniela Stephania Pico Hernández National University of Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8125-8569
Elizabeth Ochoa Rodríguez Instituto Nacional de Cancerología
Paula Cristina Nogueira University of São Paulo
Vera Lucia Conceição de Gouveia Santos University of São Paulo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1288-5761
Sandra Guerrero Gamboa National University of Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0893-0478

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.11818

Keywords:

wounds, nursing, cancer, epidemiological studies, risk factors, stomatherapy

Abstract

Background: Hospitalized cancer patients are vulnerable to multiple wounds, which pose a significant burden in terms of care and clinical risk. The aim of this study was to estimate and analyze the prevalence of wounds in hospitalized adult oncology patients and the clinical factors associated with their prevalence.
Method: This was an epidemiological, observational, and cross-sectional study. The point prevalence of wounds was calculated among 396 patients at an oncology center in Bogotá, Colombia. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using bivariate and multivariate methods, including a decision tree model (CART), to explore the factors associated with the presence of wounds, with a significance level of 5%.
Results: In this study, a total of 252 patients (63.6%) had wounds. The most common types of wounds were surgical wounds (39%), complicated surgical wounds (17.4%), and pressure injuries (8.8%). Regarding the CART decision tree models, surgery during the current hospitalization was associated with a 92.6% probability of wound prevalence and the use of antihypertensives (as a pre-existing condition) was also a significant factor. Additionally, in the CART model excluding surgical and neoplastic wounds, the factors associated with the presence of wounds of were the Braden score of 14.5 and was the reason for hospitalization.
Conclusions: Identifying the prevalence and characterizing hospitalized adult cancer patients with wounds are crucial for decision-making and treatment management. Additionally, the associated factors can be incorporated into preventive programs tailored specifically for local realities, with the aim of improving care quality, patient safety, and resource optimization.