The Braden Scale and Care Dependency Scale each demonstrate at least 70% sensitivity and specificity for identifying inpatients at risk of pressure ulcer
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
- Correspondence to Jürgen Stausberg
Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (IBE), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Marchioninistraße 15, 81377 München, Germany; juergen.stausberg{at}ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de
The assessment of the patient's individual risk for pressure ulcers (PU) is a prerequisite for an adequate application of preventive interventions. For example, the new guideline of National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel recommends several preventive interventions solely for patients ‘at risk’.1 Therefore, the correct implementation of this guideline demands the differentiation between ‘at risk’ and ‘no risk’. However, the same guideline reports only indirect evidence for the use of a structured approach of risk assessment. Furthermore, no specific Risk Assessment Scale (RAS) is recommended. In case of …
