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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
Dual-mode Imaging of Cutaneous Tissue Oxygenation and Vascular Function
Published on: December 8, 2010
[Differentiation between moisture lesions and pressure ulcers using photographs in a critical area]
Josefa Valls-Matarín1, Mercedes Del Cotillo-Fuente1, María Pujol-Vila1
1Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Universitari Mútua Terrassa, Terrassa, Barcelona, España.
Objectives:
To identify difficulties for nurses in differentiating between moisture lesions and pressure ulcers, proper classification of pressure ulcers to assess the adequate classification of the Grupo Nacional para el Estudio y Asesoramiento de Úlceras por Presión y Heridas Crónicas (GNEAUPP) and the degree of agreement in the correct assessment by type and category of injury.
Method:
Cross-sectional study in a critical area during 2014. All nurses who agreed to participate were included. They performed a questionnaire with 14 photographs validated by experts of moisture lesions or pressure ulcers in the sacral area and buttocks, with 6 possible answers: Pressure ulcer category I, II, III, IV, moisture lesions and unknown. Demographics and knowledge of the classification system of the pressure ulcers were collected according to GNEAUPP.
Results:
It involved 98% of the population (n=56); 98.2% knew the classification system of the GNEAUPP; 35.2% of moisture lesions were considered as pressure ulcers, most of them as a category II (18.9%). The 14.8% of the pressure ulcers photographs were identified as moisture lesions and 16.1% were classified in another category. The agreement between nurses earned a global Kappa index of .38 (95% CI: .29-.57).
Conclusion:
There are difficulties differentiating between pressure ulcers and moisture lesions, especially within initial categories. Nurses have the perception they know the pressure ulcers classification, but they do not classify them correctly. The degree of concordance in the diagnosis of skin lesions was low.
