title: A simple severity index for pressure ulcers.
abstract: The aim of this study was to design and test a pressure ulcer severity score based on assessment by experienced clinicians. Fifty pressure ulcers were each evaluated independently by seven experienced clinicians, using a scale that ranged from 0 (mildest damage) to 10 (most severe). Ulcer characteristics were analysed to determine which factors related to the assessments. A second set of 50 ulcers was used to test the validity of the resulting scoring system. Inter- and intra-observer reliability were tested in a further 10 pressure ulcers. A multivariate linear model was produced, based on the following three variables: colour (CO-matched-matched) in the wound base; depth (DE) of the ulcer; and mean diameter (D) of the wound ('CODED'). The coefficients for each variable were rounded to yield points in an additive equation, the CODED score. This score had a high correlation (r = 0.92, P < 0.001) with the second set of evaluations, used to test the score performance. The CODED score is a simple and valid tool to quantify the progress of a pressure ulcer. It has a high correlation with the severity assessment of experienced clinicians and is reliable when used by non-experienced observers.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hospital Aranzazu, Osakidetza-Servicio Vasco de Salud, San Sebastian, Spain.
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Emparanza
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aranegui
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perez
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index