Reliability and validity of the application of three pressure ulcer risk assessment scales in hospitalized elderly patients

Objective To compare and evaluate the reliability and validity of the application of three pressure ulcer risk assessment scales in hospitalized elderly patients by Norton,Braden and Waterlow pressure ulcer risk assessment scales. Methods We selected 271 elderly patiehts from a certain thirdclass and first-grade hospital and assessed their pressure ulcer risks by 3 assessment scales.The reliability and validity of these Scales were evaluated and compared by the following methods such as Cronbaeh's α coefficient,content validity index,factor analysis and ROC curve. Results The Cronbach's α coefficient of these 3 scales were 0.71,0.79 and 0.32 respectively.The content validity indices of them were 0.85,0.91and 0.87.The cumulative variance explained were 71.73%,70.34%and 65.76%respectively.The sensitivity and specificity upon cut-off points were(0.75,0.62),(0.74,0.59)and(0.86,0.59).Conclusion The Waterlow scale showed insufficient internal consistency but good predictive ability.The Braden scale showed moderate reliability and validity but with a lower predictive ability compared with the Norton and Waterlow scales. Key words: Pressure ulcer risk assessment scales; Elderly patients; Reliability; Validity