Validation of the NE1 wound assessment tool to improve staging of pressure ulcers on admission by registered nurses.

Background And Purpose: There is a need for a simple bedside tool to improve the ability of nurses to identify skin alterations, describe wounds, and stage pressure ulcers for proper care management and present on admission documentation. This study tests the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of the NE1 Wound Assessment Tool (NE1 WAT), a single-use tool featuring wound pictures and stage descriptions according to National Pressure Ulcer Advisor Panel criteria.

Methods: Registered nurses (N = 94) identified and staged 30 wound photographs under 3 test conditions: (a) without NE1 WAT, (b) with NE1 WAT after viewing a 10-min instructional presentation, (c) with NE1 WAT but no additional instruction after a 7-14-day delay.

Results: Out of a possible 90 points, scores increased 12.3 points between Tests 1 and 2 (p <.001) and 14.1 points between Tests 1 and 3 (p < .001). Test-retest reliability was high: intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC; 3, 1) = .892 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.840-0.927).

Conclusions: The NE1 WAT is a simple tool that, with little training, improved the skin assessment ability of registered nurses.