How good is the evidence for using risk assessment to prevent pressure ulcers?

Nurses may assume that carrying out risk assessment and auditing such care processes result in better outcomes. However, it is vital to examine the evidence on care processes before using them to demonstrate quality of care. This article analyses the evidence supporting risk assessment for pressure ulcer prevention, which has been adopted as one of the eight high impact actions for nursing and midwifery. The issues raised are equally relevant to any clinical area where processes such as risk assessment are used to demonstrate evidence of quality care.