$1.3 billion a year. That's the estimated annual cost of treating the 1.8 million Americans who suffer from bed sores (called pressure ulcers by the medical community)— a condition that is both preventable and treatable. If that cost is appalling, the experience is horrific.

Bed sores occur in people of all ages, however, researchers agree that elderly individuals in nursing homes are at highest risk.

The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (a unit of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research) estimates that about 24 percent of nursing home residents develop pressure ulcers. A study published by the Journal of Chronic Disease even attributes 8 percent of nursing home deaths to bed sores.

According to the Ohio Department of Aging, in 2001 about 68,500 elderly Ohioans lived in the state's 865 nursing homes. Research indicates that more than 16,400 Ohio nursing home residents will have their lives prematurely shortened by bed sores each year.

Galvanized by this research, the MAGNET PDD team saw a significant opportunity to do three things:

• Relieve the suffering of thousands of individuals affected by bed sores
• Save money for the State of Ohio's Medicare funds
• Prove the effectiveness of MAGNET PDD’s product design process