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- Title
UTILITY OF THE WATERLOW SCALE IN ACUTE CARE SETTINGS: A LITERATURE REVIEW.
- Authors
Nadeem, Arshi; Healee, David
- Abstract
Background: Pressure injuries are an indicator of quality of care, and are associated with decreasing quality of life for patients, and increased recovery time. The Waterlow scale is a recommended tool in many international guidelines for pressure injury prevention. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to explore the effectiveness and validity of the Waterlow scale in acute care settings for the prevention of pressure injuries. Method: Six electronic databases were searched: CINAHL EBSCOhost, Ovid Embase, Ovid Emcare, Ovid Medline, The Cochrane Library and Ovid Nursing Database. Eleven studies were identified for inclusion in the review. A thematic approach was used to synthesise the information. Findings: Three key themes were identified: "validity and reliability", "clinical judgement" and "feasibility and cost implications". Ten out of the 11 studies indicated poor reliability and validity. Using this scale in conjunction with clinical judgement is highly recommended for best practice. Although the Waterlow scale was found to be easy to use, it may not be economical due to its tendency to overpredict the risk. Conclusion: The Waterlow scale shows poor reliability and validity in assessing pressure injury risk in acute settings. It should only be used in conjunction with clinical judgement for initial screening. Educating and training nurses to use it effectively can increase its reliability over time. Despite its limitations, the Waterlow scale is the most widely used scale in clinical practice. Further research is recommended to test the scale in acute care settings.
- Subjects
CINAHL database; MEDICAL information storage &; retrieval systems; MEDICAL databases; INFORMATION storage &; retrieval systems; RESEARCH evaluation; PRESSURE ulcers; RESEARCH methodology evaluation; SYSTEMATIC reviews; RISK assessment; CRITICAL care medicine; MEDLINE; THEMATIC analysis; MEDICAL logic; DISEASE risk factors
- Publication
Kaitiaki Nursing Research, 2021, Vol 12, Issue 1, p44
- ISSN
1179-772X
- Publication type
Article