title: Risk assessment scales for pressure ulcers: a methodological review.
abstract: Much is written about risk-assessment scales (RASs) for pressure ulcers (PU) and their properties demonstrating that they are of limited value. Less is known about the reasons for these limitations and the scope for improvement. This review examines issues such as structure and scoring for the Norton, Waterlow and Braden scales, showing that the equal-weighting technique behind the current RASs is too simplistic and leads to limitations. It concludes that properly trained, experienced nurses should conduct PU risk assessments, whilst more robust data-driven RASs should be developed using the differential weighting scoring method together with advanced statistical techniques.
authors.affiliation: Nursing, Health and Social Care Research Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, University of Cardiff, 35-43 Newport Road, Cardiff CF24 0AB, UK. papanikolaoup@cf.ac.uk
authors.forename: Panos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Papanikolaou
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lyne
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anthony
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing*; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology