ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine if the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk (Braden Scale) and the Resident Assessment Instrument Minimum Data Set Version 2.0 (MDS 2.0) Pressure Ulcer Risk Scale (PURS) provide a comparable assessment of the level of risk of developing a pressure ulcer at admission in complex continuing care.
SETTING: Saint-Vincent Hospital, Bruyere Continuing Care, a 336-bed complex continuing care facility that provides restorative, complex, specialized, and supportive care to adults in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted from February 2012 to April 2012 on 51 patient charts that were chosen based on the completion of an admission Braden Scale assessment within a maximum of 4 weeks from admission and completed admission MDS 2.0.
RESULTS: The Braden Scale categorized 63% of patients at risk when using scores between 15 and 23, compared with 33% for the MDS 2.0 PURS scores of 0-2 (low and very low risk). Both scales were comparable in identifying patients in the lower risk categories when data was reviewed using a cutoff point of 18 for the Braden. At the high risk end of the spectrum, the MDS 2.0 PURS categorized more patients, 45%, as high or very high risk, compared with 21% for using the Braden Scale.
CONCLUSION: This preliminary study may provide some evidence that the MDS 2.0 PURS may be an alternative risk assessment tool option that utilizes mandatory collected data, reduces workload duplication, and would generate a Resident Assessment Protocol, when indicated, in complex continuing care.