Braden Risk Assessment Case Study

This assignment aims to discuss the justification, limitations, benefits and outcomes of using the Braden risk assessment tool within an allocated community scenario.

Molly O’Brien (pseudonym) is a 72-year-old retired primary school who lives with her 65-year-old sister Petra in a bungalow. Molly receives regular visits from a district nurse to monitor and redress her current leg ulcer. She is mobile and independent with the use of a walking stick but needs some assistance when showering.

The Braden risk assessment tool was deemed to be appropriate due to the patient’s comorbidity’s of peripheral vascular disease and lymphoedema with the addition of an arterio-venous leg ulcer of the right leg. This scale is universally accepted as a tool to help identify those most at risk with a goal of allowing health care providers to use their experience and judgement to consistently reduce the risk or to ensure preventive care is appropriately prescribed (Guy, 2012). Pressure ulcers are a risk factor for those who suffer from

These elements do give a clear indication at Molly’s low risk of developing a pressure ulcer (See appendix 1) however a possible recommendation would be to include a skin check to ensure that areas at risk are not already affected by pressure. This is supported by Warner-Maron (2015) who highlights that the Braden scale does not take into consideration the patients history of healed pressure ulcers or the possibility that they have already developed a pressure ulcer. Both factors would be relevant when assessing risk and should be assessed using a comprehensive skin assessment and the nurses own clinical judgement. Had Molly’s assessment showed her to be at risk it would have triggered care interventions such as pressure relieving cushions or