Geriatric Assessment Essay

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Geriatric Assessment Paper
Braden Scale
The Braden Scale is used to predict a patient’s pressure sore risk. The Braden Scale is typically used for older adults who are medically or cognitively impaired (New York University, 2012). It is very important for nurses and other staff members to be aware of this score and things they can do to prevent pressure sores on patients. Nurses are one of the people that patients see the most on a daily basis while staying in the hospital. Florence Nightingale once said, “If he has a bedsore, it's generally not the fault of the disease, but of the nursing” (Lyder & Ayello, 2013, p.1). Sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction/shear are the six categories on the Braden scale. If a patient scores above an 18 they are considered not at risk for developing a pressure sore however, nurses are still required to intervene if they see any problems developing. A score of 15 to 18 identifies that the patient is at risk of developing a pressure sore. If the patient has a score of 13 to 14 they are at a moderate risk compared to a score of 10 to 12 where they would be considered a high risk of acquiring a pressure sore. A patient is considered to have a very high risk of developing a pressure sore if their score is 9 or less. The maximum score a patient can get is a 23 which indicates that the patient has no sensory impairment, rarely moist, walks frequently, excellent nutrition, and has no friction/shear problems.
The highest Braden score that one of my patients had was patient 1 who had a score of 21. This indicates that the patient was not at risk of developing a pressure ulcer. Patient 2 had a score of 18, which was the lowest score of all four patients. This score is indicative of the patient being at risk of developing a pressure sore. Patient 1 received a higher score due to the fact

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