SynthesisJournal of advanced nursing2026
Absolute Versus Relative Skin Temperature as Early Warning Indicator for Pressure Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of advanced nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Absolute Versus Relative Skin Temperature as Early Warning Indicator for Pressure Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimsSkin temperature, including absolute temperature (at bony prominence areas under long-term compression) and relative temperature (the difference between bony prominence and adjacent control area), may serve as early warning indicators for PI. However, the optimal indicator remains unclear. This meta-analysis therefore synthesises evidence on their association with PI risk to identify the best indicator and evaluate its early-warning accuracy.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis.
methodsWe included prospective cohort studies of adult patients investigating longitudinal associations between skin temperature and subsequent PI development. We pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) and odds ratios, complemented by summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis. The overall quality of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE method. DATA SOURCES: We researched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), Wanfang and CNKI databases from inception to September 25, 2024.
resultsAfter screening 1354 titles and abstracts, ten studies comprising 1742 participants were included in the final synthesis. No significant difference in absolute temperature (combined SMD) was found between the PI and non-PI groups (seven studies included). In addition, decreased relative temperature (< -0.1°C) was associated with a 16-fold increased likelihood of PI (95% CI 6.38-40.19, I
conclusionsRelative temperature is significantly related to the risk of PI, supporting its role as a promising early warning indicator. Future studies should establish a standardised measurement protocol to facilitate its clinical application. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: Monitoring skin temperature changes holds promise as a non-invasive tool for early warning of PI risk. However, the amount and quality of available evidence limit our confidence in these findings, underscoring the need for further research before a definitive conclusion can be drawn. REPORTING
methodThis study followed PRISMA guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42024550099.
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Registered trials
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