The prevalence, incidence and risk factors of medical adhesive-related skin injury in adult inpatients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: MARSI can occur in any population and clinical setting and is prevalent among patients who are frequently exposed to medical adhesives. It can disrupt the skin barrier and cause pain and infection, confusing patients and medical staff and making it necessary to understand its prevalence, incidence, and risk factors to improve patient health and medical safety.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of medical adhesive-related skin injury in adult inpatients.

Design: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A computer search was conducted on nine databases in both Chinese and English, covering studies from inception to July 10, 2024, evaluating the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of medical adhesive-related skin injuries. Meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.4 and Stata 14 software.

Results: The analysis included 22 studies, involving a total of 10510 research subjects. The meta-analysis of fourteen cross-sectional studies showed that the prevalence of medical adhesive-related skin injury in adult inpatients was 16 % [95 % CI: 13-18 %, Z = 10.95, P < 0.00001]. In the other seven additional cohort studies, the meta-analysis of incidence was 25 % [95 % CI: 17-33 %, Z = 5.90, P < 0.00001]. The results of the meta-analysis of risk factors showed that the following six factors: age>50 years (OR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.05-1.41), dry skin (OR = 3.51, 95%CI: 1.55-7.95), history of MARSI (OR = 6.78, 95%CI: 1.69-27.15), history of skin allergies (OR = 3.82, 95%CI: 1.92-7.57), skin edema(OR = 3.59,95%CI:1.52-8.47), wet skin(OR = 3.57,95%CI:1.65-13.35) were risk factors.