title: Validation of the NE1 wound assessment tool to improve staging of pressure ulcers on admission by registered nurses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a need for a simple bedside tool to improve the ability of nurses to identify skin alterations, describe wounds, and stage pressure ulcers for proper care management and present on admission documentation. This study tests the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of the NE1 Wound Assessment Tool (NE1 WAT), a single-use tool featuring wound pictures and stage descriptions according to National Pressure Ulcer Advisor Panel criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Registered nurses (N = 94) identified and staged 30 wound photographs under 3 test conditions: (a) without NE1 WAT, (b) with NE1 WAT after viewing a 10-min instructional presentation, (c) with NE1 WAT but no additional instruction after a 7-14-day delay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of a possible 90 points, scores increased 12.3 points between Tests 1 and 2 (p <.001) and 14.1 points between Tests 1 and 3 (p < .001). Test-retest reliability was high: intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC; 3, 1) = .892 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.840-0.927).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The NE1 WAT is a simple tool that, with little training, improved the skin assessment ability of registered nurses.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lilly
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Estocado
authors.forename: Jesse B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Spencer-Smith
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Englebright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D010781:Photography / Q000592:standards*; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult