Simon Lebech Cichosz1, Anne-Birgitte Voelsang2, Lise Tarnow3, John Michael Hasenkam4, Jesper Fleischer5. 1. Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. 2. Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. 3. Steno Diabetes Center, Sjaelland, Denmark. 4. Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. 5. Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Medical Research Laboratory, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Abstract
Objective: The development of in-hospital acquired pressure ulcers (PUs) is of great concern for both patients and professionals in health care. Based on the hypothesis that identification of patients who are prone to develop PU will enhance preventive measures in this group of patients, we investigated a new tool, Qscale, for in-hospital prediction of PU. Approach: A total of 383 patients were recruited from three departments. The investigations were performed in two steps: 252 patients were used to train the algorithm, and 131 patients were used in the validation. The new scale combines observational and on-site available information regarding patient mobility. Results: The validation data yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82. The Qscale had a significantly higher AUC compared with that of the Braden Scale with an AUC of 0.76 (p < 0.05). When comparing the performance at specific thresholds, a sensitivity of 47% and a specificity of 94% were observed. This was significantly (p < 0.05) better than the Braden score with a sensitivity of 20% and a specificity of 94%. Innovation: Our study showed promising results on both the training and validation data of the Qscale in comparison with the Braden Scale. Conclusion: The new scale has a potential benefit in the prevention of PU in a hospital setting.
Objective: The development of in-hospital acquired pressure ulcers (PUs) is of great concern for both patients and professionals in health care. Based on the hypothesis that identification of patients who are prone to develop PU will enhance preventive measures in this group of patients, we investigated a new tool, Qscale, for in-hospital prediction of PU. Approach: A total of 383 patients were recruited from three departments. The investigations were performed in two steps: 252 patients were used to train the algorithm, and 131 patients were used in the validation. The new scale combines observational and on-site available information regarding patient mobility. Results: The validation data yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82. The Qscale had a significantly higher AUC compared with that of the Braden Scale with an AUC of 0.76 (p < 0.05). When comparing the performance at specific thresholds, a sensitivity of 47% and a specificity of 94% were observed. This was significantly (p < 0.05) better than the Braden score with a sensitivity of 20% and a specificity of 94%. Innovation: Our study showed promising results on both the training and validation data of the Qscale in comparison with the Braden Scale. Conclusion: The new scale has a potential benefit in the prevention of PU in a hospital setting.
Authors: Hui Min Khor; Juan Tan; Nor Izzati Saedon; Shahrul B Kamaruzzaman; Ai Vyrn Chin; Philip J H Poi; Maw Pin Tan Journal: Arch Gerontol Geriatr Date: 2014-07-21 Impact factor: 3.250