Predictive validity of the Braden scale for pressure ulcer risk in critical care patients

This methodological study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity of the Braden scale in critical care patients. The study was conducted in four intensive care units of a general private hospital. After approval of the project by the Hospital Ethics Committee, during six months, adult patients admitted to ICUs with a Braden score <18 and without PU were assessed upon admission and at 48-hours intervals as long as the patient remained at risk or until the development of PU, patients' discharge, death or transfer from the ICU. The cut-off scores of the Braden scale in the first, second and third assessments were 12, 13 and 13, respectively. Sensitivity was 85.7%, 71.4% and 71.4% and specificity was 64.6%, 81.5% and 83.1%, respectively. Areas under the ROC curves revealed very good accuracy for the cut-off scores. The Braden cut-off score 13 in the third assessment showed the best predictive performance in critical care patients.