Pressure ulcer prevention - Essay Example

It is the health care professional who is entrusted with the assessment of risk of pressure ulcers in a person, usually suffering from some health issue where the patient is bedridden, or in the elderly population with decreased mobility. Although ulcers can be prevented using aggressive measures, it is found to be having a “floor effect” with the probability of another ulcer developing in the same area. Strategies for prevention include assessment for risks of developing pressure ulcers in outpatients or inpatients.

Perry et al. (2010) have discussed the prevention and treatment protocols for outpatients and inpatients that offer recommendations for assessment, prevention and treatment on a continuous basis. While a list of questions are used to assess risk for outpatients, risk assessment among inpatients uses standard tools like the Braden (Q) Scale, Norton Scale or the Waterlow Scale (EPUAP & NPUAP, 2009). Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk (Braden Scale) Braden Scale is the most widely used risk assessment tool for pressure ulcer development and is found to be an enhancement of the Norton Scale and is used as a general tool for predicting pressure sore risks on four different scales based on six factors.

The six factors or sub-scales include: sensory perception, activity, mobility, skin moisture, friction, and nutrition. The scores of Braden Scale assessment determine the level of risk of development of pressure ulcer in inpatients, and this scale provides a systematic and quantitative risk assessment aiding interdisciplinary team communication for effective prevention and treatment by the health care professionals (Reilly et al., 2007). Figure 1 below represents the Braden Scale factors: Figure 1: Braden Scale factors.

Source: (Reilly et al., 2007). It is seen that a risk factor score of