title: Preventing pressure sores in oncology patients.
abstract: This project addresses staff nurses' concerns about the development of hospital-acquired pressure sores in cancer patients. The Braden Scale and the National Pressure Sore Advisory Panel Staging System were pilot tested. The incidence of hospital-acquired pressure sores was 8% and a mean Braden score of 16 was sufficiently sensitive (82%) and specific (84%) for use with our patient population. Eighty-two percent (9/11) of the patients with a score of 16 on the Braden Scale developed a pressure sore that day. The model of pressure sore development constructed by Braden and Bergstrom (1987) was used to guide the development of a pressure sore prevention protocol. The pilot test of this protocol over 6 months showed no decline in the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure sores and a reduction in the sensitivity and specificity of the Braden Scale. Possible explanations for this finding and revisions to the protocol are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Cross Cancer Institute, Alberta.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tkachuk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity