Has any research been done regarding the prevalence of bed sores in the U.S.?

Yes.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed 14,000 nursing home residents across the country.  The report concluded bed sores are widespread problem and effect a broad based nursing home demographic–regardless of race, sex, or age.

The report,”Pressure Ulcers Among Nursing Home Resident: United States, 2004″ revealed the following:

• In 2004, more than one in 10 nursing home residents had some form of pressure ulcer within the year.  Based on the total number of nursing home residents, that translates to more than 159,000 nursing home residents with pressure ulcers (otherwise known as bed sores, decubitus ulcers, or pressure sores).
• Stage II pressure ulcers were the most common according to the survey.
• Over 35% of the nursing home residents with pressure ulcers had more advanced– stage III or stage IV ulcers that required special wound treatment.  Even younger nursing home residents, those commonly thought to be somewhat removed from the problem, are at risk according to the report.

The study demonstrates that while it is important to identify nursing home residents who are at risk for development of bed sores and implement preventative techniques, no nursing home resident is immune from risk of developing pressure ulcers and the nursing home staff need to be tuned in to the factors related to bed sore development and treatment.  This included conducting regular skin assessments and indentifying bed sores in their earliest stages.