Reliability and validity of the Braden Scale in the home care setting.

The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guidelines for prediction and prevention of pressure ulcers have encouraged the use of risk assessment tools to identify those patients most likely to acquire a pressure ulcer. The Braden Scale has been widely tested and shown to be valid for use in acute and long-term care settings. Little data exist, however, on the use of the Braden Scale in the home care setting. This study determined the sensitivity and specificity of Braden Scale scores obtained for home care patients. Pressure ulcer incidence rate was 17%. Braden Scale scores ranged from 11 to 22. At a score of 18, sensitivity of the tool was 100%; the specificity was only 34%, however, indicating that the Braden Scale has validity in identifying patients at risk but has limited predictive ability.