Background: Pressure ulcer is a common problem that causes significant pain and additional costs, but has not been given appropriate high priority in hospitalized patients. They were individual studies on the prevalence of pressure ulcer among hospitalized patients in Ethiopia. But, there is no study that shows the national estimate of pressure ulcer among hospitalized patients. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the national pooled prevalence of pressure ulcer among hospitalized patients in Ethiopia. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline was followed to review published and unpublished studies in Ethiopia. The databases used were; PubMed, Google Scholar and African Journals Online. Search terms were; pressure ulcer, bedsore, pressure sore, decubitus ulcers, and/or Ethiopia. Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument was used for critical appraisal. The meta-analysis was conducted using STATA-11. Descriptive information of studies was presented in narrative form and quantitative results were presented in forest plots. The Cochran Q test and I2 test statistics were used to test heterogeneity across studies. The pooled estimate prevalence and the odd ratios with 95% confidence intervals were computed by a fixed effect model. Results: Five studies with 1,291 participants were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Of these, 146 participants developed pressure ulcer. The overall pooled prevalence of pressure ulcer among hospitalized patients in Ethiopia was 16 % (95% CI: -2%, 30%). Conclusions: The prevalence of pressure ulcer among hospitalized patients is higher in Ethiopia. Health professionals have to play a key role in preventing, reducing and managing pressure ulcer.

Keywords: Pressure ulcer, Patients, Ethiopia.