The prevalence of pressure ulcers among permanent wheelchair users remains high. While many risk factors for pressure ulcer development in this group have been identified only a minority of these have been evaluated scientifically and it is generally acknowledged that existing risk assessment tools are inadequate for predicting risk in seated persons who use a wheelchair for mobility. A 2-year prospective study is underway to design a new self-administered pressure ulcer risk indicator to be used by non-ambulant wheelchair users and their carers in conjunction with professionals. This instrument will be designed as a result of triangulation of methods. A systematic review of available evidence Latest professional opinion A qualitative study exploring the issues from the perspective of seated persons with a history of pressure ulcers (n = 10) undertaken by one of the authors (JW) A 2-year prospective study identifying key risk factors in a sample of 160 seated persons. This paper offers an insight into the findings on the recruitment of the 160 individuals into the prospective study, which is currently collecting a large amount of data on the health, degree of disability and integrity of skin of all the participants. The paper offers an overview of the medical diagnosis, degree of physical disability, issues pertaining to continence and prevalence of pressure ulcers in this group on recruitment. Early findings suggest that the new risk indicator should include measures of degree of physical disability and ability to transfer as an integral part of self-assessment and therefore prevention of pressure ulcers. The study was due for completion in the autumn of 2002. It is envisaged that early work on the development of the tool should be complete by the summer of 2003.