Complementing Braden scale for pressure ulcer risk with clinical and demographic-related factors in a large cohort of hospitalized Italian patients

Aims: To determine the prevalence, risk, and determinants of pressure ulcer risk in a large cohort of hospitalized patients. Design: A prospective cross-sectional study with data collection in January 2023. Methods: Registered nurses collected data from 798 patients admitted to 27 health care units of an Italian hospital. The pressure ulcer risk was assessed using the Braden scale. The presence of comorbidities was collected from clinical reports. Obesity was assessed according to international indicators (Body Mass Index). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of different Braden scores for identifying participants with pressure ulcers. Results: The prevalence of pressure ulcers was 9.5%, and 57.4% of the sample were at risk of developing pressure ulcers. The area under the ROC curve was 0.88. The best sensitivity and specificity were found for a Braden cutoff score of 15.5 (sensibility = 0.76; specificity = 0.85). The determinants of lower Braden scores were older age (p < 0.001), comorbidities (p < 0.001), wounds of other nature (p = 0.001), urinary incontinence (p < 0.001), fecal incontinence (p < 0.001), and urinary catheterization (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Several demographic factors and specific clinical indicators have been identified as determinants of the risk of developing pressure ulcers, which are easily ascertainable by healthcare providers; thus, they may routinely complement the Braden Scale in the assessment of pressure ulcer risk in order to reinforce and accelerate clinical judgment.