Abstract
Pressure ulcers remain a major health issue for critical patients. The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study was to analyze the risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers in patients hospitalized at an intensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients were assessed through the Braden scale to determine the risk for the development of pressure ulcers and to identify individual risks, and the Glasgow scale was used to assess their consciousness. It was found that the risks associated with pressure ulcer development were: low scores on the Braden Scale on the first hospitalization day and low scores on the Glasgow scale. The results showed that these tools can help nurses to identify patients at risk, with a view to nursing care planning.
Highlights
The variables measured by the Braden and Glasgow scales complemented the assessment of critically ill patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU), and helped nurses to identify patients at risk for the development of pressure ulcers, as well as to identify the associated risk factors
The aspects assessed by the Braden and Glasgow scales, age, gender, skin color, and length of stay, were considered as independent variables. This exploratory, descriptive study was performed with patients hospitalized at an ICU of a tertiary, large scale university hospital located in the interior of São Paulo state, Brazil, from October 2004 to March 2005
To identify the presence of pressure ulcers (PU), systematic skin inspection was done in all bony prominences within 24 hours after admission to the ICU and daily until a PU was found, or the patient was released from the UCI, or deceased
Summary
Using the Braden and Glasgow Scales to predict pressure ulcer risk in patients hospitalized at intensive care units. Descriptivo y exploratorio, tuvo como objetivo evaluar los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de la úlcera de presión presentes en pacientes internados en un centro de terapia intensiva de un hospital universitario. Los pacientes fueron evaluados utilizando la escala de Braden para determinar el riesgo de desarrollo de úlceras de presión e identificación de factores de riesgo individuales y con la escala de Glasgow para evaluar el nivel de conciencia. Descritivo e exploratório, objetivou avaliar os fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de úlcera de pressão presentes em pacientes internados em um centro de terapia intensiva de um hospital universitário.
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