Clinical application of the Braden Scale in the acute-care setting.

The Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk was designed to predict patients at risk of forming pressure sores and has been tested in a variety of settings. In two studies with a cumulative n of 199, the sensitivity was 100% using 16 as a cut-off and the specificity ranged from 64% to 90%. In this study of 361 patients in a large, tertiary, acute-care facility, the Braden Scale sensitivity was 73% and specificity was 91%. Using 16 as the cut-off point, this instrument would have over-predicted pressure sore formation, but, more importantly, inadequate preventative measures would have been provided for 27% of the patient population.