Point prevalence and incidence of iatrogenic skin damage in neonatal intensive care

Neonates admitted to neonatal units are at risk of skin damage. Medical devices are frequently implicated, although several other forms of skin damage have been reported. A cross-sectional point prevalence study and prospective cohort incidence study were thus carried out looking at all forms of skin damage in two large neonatal intensive care units. Point prevalence of 39% (n = 21) and incidence of 71% (n = 36) were found. Although skin damage was frequent, it was typically superficial, with only 7% of injuries in the prevalence study and 14% in the incidence study representing broken skin. A range of medical devices were implicated in the development of skin damage, with immobility-related pressure ulcers and diaper dermatitis also observed. Greater degree of prematurity was associated with a higher risk of any skin damage. Clinicians, researchers, and industry must work together to ensure that medical devices used on neonatal skin are safe for this purpose.