Clinical study: the relationship between patient perceived risk and actual risk for the development of pressure...

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the risk perceived by a patient and that patient's actual risk for the development of pressure ulcers. The nonprobability convenience sample consisted of 20 caucasian individuals who had suffered traumatic spinal cord injuries and were all living in noninstitutional settings. Perceived risk was measured using Gosnell's Risk Assessment Tool, rewritten for self-administration. Actual risk was measured using a skin assessment tool developed by the investigator. The data obtained on perceived risk and on actual risk was analyzed using frequency distributions and Spearman's Rank Order Correlations. The majority of subjects in this study (85%) were determined to be at risk for pressure ulcer development. No significant relationship between the client perceived risk and the actual risk for the development of pressure ulcers was discovered. Significant relationships were discovered between nine of the factor pairs (p = 0.05), two of which were marginally significant. The pairs, in order of significance from greatest to least, were moisture/circulation, circulation/color, perceived mobility/circulation (the only intertool pair to achieve significance), sensation/circulation, color/Total Actual Risk score, continence/Total Actual Risk score, activity/Total Perceived Risk score, circulation/Total Actual Risk score, and sensation/Total Actual Risk score. The overall conclusion is that the self-perception of risk by the subjects in this study was representative of their true potential for pressure ulcer development.