title: [The Norton Scale as predictor of health-related quality of life in institutionalized elderly].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A low Norton Scale (NS) score predicts pressure ulcer risk and several adverse outcomes in the elderly. On the other hand, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an indicator with clinical and predictive utilities. The aim was to assess the relationship between NS and HRQOL, in a gender analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one women and 39 men, institutionalized and aged≥65 years, were evaluated through personal interview and medical records. The NS, HRQOL -with EuroQol-5D-, age, body mass index, falls, use of psychoactive drugs, cognitive function and Charlson, Barthel and Tinetti indexes, were assessed. Two regression models were developed, with EuroQol-5D as dependent variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NS showed the same score in both sexes, with a median (interquartile range) value of 19 (2). Women presented a worse HRQOL, with an EuroQol-5D=0.78, whereas it was 0.87 in men (P=.02). The NS score was correlated with HRQOL in women (r=0.57; P<.001) but not in men (r=0.15; P=.36). After adjusting for confounders, the NS showed a β value of 0.54 (P=.02) in women and β=0.35 (P=.14) in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The NS has shown to be the strongest factor on HRQOL in women, regardless of age, comorbidity and the rest of covariates. Conversely, the relationship was weaker and non-significant in men.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Atención a la Dependencia de Santander, Instituto Cántabro de Servicios Sociales (ICASS), Gobierno de Cantabria, Santander, España. Electronic address: jogoex@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Josefina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: González-Expósito
authors.affiliation: Centro de Atención a la Dependencia de Santander, Instituto Cántabro de Servicios Sociales (ICASS), Gobierno de Cantabria, Santander, España.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: García-Román
authors.affiliation: Centro de Atención a la Dependencia de Santander, Instituto Cántabro de Servicios Sociales (ICASS), Gobierno de Cantabria, Santander, España.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prado-Amores
authors.affiliation: Centro de Atención a la Dependencia de Santander, Instituto Cántabro de Servicios Sociales (ICASS), Gobierno de Cantabria, Santander, España.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pardo-Fernández
authors.affiliation: Servicio Cántabro de Salud y Observatorio de Salud Pública de Cantabria (OSPC), Santander, España.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pariente-Rodrigo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Anciano frágil; Calidad de vida; Evaluación geriátrica; Frail elderly; Geriatric assessment; Pressure ulcer; Quality of life; Úlcera por presión