Clinical validation of Braden and Bergstrom's conceptual schema of pressure sore risk factors.

Pressure sores are a health problem that crosses clinical practice settings. Today, emphasis is on prevention by identification of risk factors associated with pressure sore development. The Braden and Bergstrom (1987) schema of etiologies of pressure sores has been reported to be a useful predictor of client risk for pressure sore development. This clinical validation study examined relevance of the 13 schema factors to a rehabilitation setting. Using Fehring's (1986) validation model to analyze responses, the findings suggested that in the rehabilitation setting, four schema factors were critical risk factors (decreased mobility, decreased activity, decreased sensory perception, and increased friction), five were risk factors (increased moisture, increased shear, decreased nutrition, decreased arteriolar pressure, and decreased interstitial fluid flow), and four were not considered risk factors (increased age, emotional stress, smoking, and skin temperature). Fifteen additional risk factors, many of which are psychosocial, were suggested.