Prevalence and incidence of skin tear in older adults：a systematic review and meta-analysis

Skin tear (ST) is a public health problem in older adults; they substantially increase the risk of complications and cause serious adverse consequences and health care burden. To estimate the pooled prevalence and incidence of ST among older adults. Ten databases were systematically searched from their inception to July 27, 2023. Two researchers performed a systematic review independently according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. All inconsistencies were resolved by a principal researcher. The pooled prevalence and incidence of ST were estimated in R 4.3.1 program. Thirteen studies were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of ST was 6.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.0%-11.0%, I2=98%), and the pooled incidence was 11.0% (95% CI: 5.0%-19.0%, I2=94%). The prevalence of ST was 11.0% (95% CI: 5.0%-19.0%, I2=95%) in long-term care facilities, 5.0% (95% CI: 3.0%-9.0%, I2=86%) in Europe, and 7.0% (95% CI: 1.0%-16.0%, I2=82%) in the Skin Tear Audit Research classification system (STAR). It has stabilized at 6.0% since 2021. The incidence of ST was 15.0% (95% CI: 11.0%-20.0%, I2=66%) in long-term care facilities in Japan and 4.0% (95% CI: 2.0%-6.0%) in Canada. Older adults are at a high risk for ST. Our findings emphasize the importance of epidemiologic studies and further exploring assessment tools for ST. Healthcare professionals should pay attention to ST, identify high-risk individuals and associated factors, and implement targeted prevention strategies for older adults.