Risk for surgical positioning injuries: scale validation in a rehabilitation hospital.

OBJECTIVE

to validate the Risk Assessment Scale for the Development of Injuries due to Surgical Positioning in the stratification of risk for injury development in perioperative patients at a rehabilitation hospital.

METHOD

analytical, longitudinal and quantitative study. An instrument and the scale were used in the three perioperative phases in 106 patients. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS

most patients showed high risk for perioperative injuries, both in the scale score with estimated time and in the real-time score, with a mean of 19.97 (±3.02) and 19.96 (±3.12), respectively. Most participants did not show skin lesions (87.8%) or pain (92.5%). Inferential analysis enabled us to assert that the scale scores are associated with the appearance of injuries resulting from positioning, therefore, it can adequately predict that low-risk patients are unlikely to have injuries and those at high risk are more likely to develop injuries.

CONCLUSION

the scale validation is shown by the association of scores with the appearance of injuries, therefore, it is a valid and useful tool, and it can guide the clinical practice of perioperative nurses in rehabilitation hospitals in order to reduce risk for injuries due to surgical positioning.