WHS guidelines for the treatment of pressure ulcers-2023 update.

The major populations at risk for developing pressure ulcers are older adults who have multiple risk factors that increase their vulnerability, people who are critically ill and those with spinal cord injury/disease. The reported prevalence of pressure ulcers in the United States is 2.5 million. However, this estimate is derived from acute care facilities and does not include people who are living at home or in nursing facilities. Despite the implementation of hospital and facility-based preventive measures, the incidence of pressure ulcers has not decreased in decades. In addition to the burden of pain, infection and death, it is estimated that hospital-acquired pressure ulcers cost the health system $26.8 billion annually with over 50% of the cost attributed to treating Stage 3 and 4 pressure injuries. Thus, it is critical to examine the literature and develop guidelines that will improve the outcomes of this complex and costly condition. This guideline update is a compendium of the best available evidence for the treatment of Pressure Ulcers published since the last update in 2015 and includes a new section based on changing demographics entitled 'Palliative wound care for seriously ill patients with pressure ulcers'. The overall goal of the Wound Healing Society Guideline project is to present clear, concise and commercial free guidelines that clinicians can use to guide care, that researchers can use to develop studies that will improve treatment and that both clinicians and researchers can use to understand the gaps in our knowledge base.

Movement and Pressure Injury Prevention Care for Nursing Home Residents: Addressing the Nescience.

OBJECTIVE: To compare movement associated with position changes among nursing home residents who remain in lying versus upright positions for more than 2 hours and among residents living with obesity, dementia, or neither condition. METHODS: The authors conducted a descriptive exploratory study using secondary data (N = 934) from the Turn Everyone And Move for Ulcer Prevention (TEAM-UP) clinical trial to examine transient movements (<60 seconds) within prolonged periods of 2 to 5 hours without repositioning. RESULTS: Nursing home residents exhibit significantly more episodic transient movements when upright than lying. Residents with obesity or dementia exhibited similar frequencies of episodic transient movements compared with residents with neither obesity nor dementia. Upright or lying movements were more frequent among residents with obesity than among those with neither obesity nor dementia selectively when prolonged events ranged from 2 to 4 hours. Pairwise comparisons of movement rates among resident subgroups (living with obesity, living with dementia, or neither group) across repositioning intervals showed episodic transient movements were significantly higher across all subgroups for repositioning intervals up to 3 hours when compared with repositioning intervals of greater than 3 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Findings challenge assumptions that nursing home residents are inactive and at risk for prolonged sitting. These preliminary findings, along with TEAM-UP findings where no pressure injuries occurred in up to 5 hours in prolonged positions, support establishing a standard 3-hour repositioning interval with use of high-density mattresses without a negative impact on pressure injury occurrence. There should be caution when considering repositioning intervals greater than 3 hours. Further research is indicated to explore protective effect of episodic transient movements of other subgroups.

Estimating the value of repositioning timing to streamline pressure injury prevention efforts in nursing homes: A cost-effectiveness analysis of the 'TEAM-UP' clinical trial.

Pressure injury (PrI) prevention guidelines recommend 2-h repositioning intervals in healthcare settings, requiring significant nursing time investment. We analysed the cost-effectiveness of PrI prevention protocols with 2-, 3- and 4-h repositioning intervals in US nursing homes according to 'Turn Everyone and Move for Ulcer Prevention' (TEAM-UP) randomized controlled trial findings. Markov modelling compared 2-, 3- and 4-h repositioning intervals, controlling for other practice guidelines, to prevent PrIs in nursing home residents from a US health sector perspective over one year using TEAM-UP trial data for model structure, sampling and parameterization. Costs, captured in 2020 US dollars, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were used to derive an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and net monetary benefit (NMB) at $50 000/QALY-$150 000/QALY cost-effectiveness thresholds. Sensitivity analyses tested model uncertainty. Repositioning intervals between 3 and 4 h were cost-effective based on reduced costs at slightly lower QALYs than 2 h at a $50 000/QALY threshold, and the NMB of 4-h repositioning was also more efficient than at 3 h ($9610). Repositioning labour cost and prevention routines were among the most sensitive parameters. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that 3- and 4-h intervals were cost-effective in over 65% of simulations at any cost-effectiveness threshold. Repositioning intervals of 3 to 4 h have potential to reduce nursing time costs without significant decrements in clinical benefits to nursing home residents. Clinical guidelines for PrI prevention should be updated to reflect TEAM-UP clinical and economic findings. Facilities can use cost-savings recuperated from nursing time to deploy to other patient safety priorities without seriously jeopardizing PrI safety.

Characteristics of Nursing Home Resident Movement Patterns: Results from the TEAM-UP Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine movement patterns of nursing home residents, specifically those with dementia or obesity, to improve repositioning approaches to pressure injury (PrI) prevention. METHODS: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted using secondary data from the Turn Everyone And Move for Ulcer Prevention (TEAM-UP) clinical trial examining PrI prevention repositioning intervals. K-means cluster analysis used the average of each resident's multiple days' observations of four summary mean daily variables to create homogeneous movement pattern clusters. Growth mixture models examined movement pattern changes over time. Logistic regression analyses predicted resident and nursing home cluster group membership. RESULTS: Three optimal clusters partitioned 913 residents into mutually exclusive groups with significantly different upright and lying patterns. The models indicated stable movement pattern trajectories across the 28-day intervention period. Cluster profiles were not differentiated by residents with dementia (n = 450) or obesity (n = 285) diagnosis; significant cluster differences were associated with age and Braden Scale total scores or risk categories. Within clusters 2 and 3, residents with dementia were older (P < .0001) and, in cluster 2, were also at greater PrI risk (P < .0001) compared with residents with obesity; neither group differed in cluster 1. CONCLUSIONS: Study results determined three movement pattern clusters and advanced understanding of the effects of dementia and obesity on movement with the potential to improve repositioning protocols for more effective PrI prevention. Lying and upright position frequencies and durations provide foundational knowledge to support tailoring of PrI prevention interventions despite few significant differences in repositioning patterns for residents with dementia or obesity.

Movement Patterns of Transient and Prolonged Positioning Events in Nursing Home Residents: Results from the TEAM-UP Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize transient and prolonged body position patterns in a large sample of nursing home (NH) residents and describe the variability in movement patterns based on time of occurrence. METHODS: This study is a descriptive, exploratory analysis of up to 28 days of longitudinal accelerometer data for 1,100 NH residents from the TEAM-UP (Turn Everyone and Move for Ulcer Prevention) clinical trial. Investigators analyzed rates of transient events (TEs; less than 60 seconds) and prolonged events (PEs; 60 seconds or longer) and their interrelationships by nursing shift. RESULTS: Residents' positions changed for at least 1 minute (PEs) nearly three times per hour. Shorter-duration movements (TEs) occurred almost eight times per hour. Residents' PE rates were highest in shift 2 (3 pm to 11 pm ), when the median duration and maximum lengths of PEs were lowest; the least active time of day was shift 3 (11 pm to 7 am ). Three-quarters of all PEs lasted less than 15 minutes. The rate of TEs within PEs decreased significantly as the duration of PEs increased. CONCLUSIONS: The NH residents demonstrate complex patterns of movements of both short and prolonged duration while lying and sitting. Findings represent how NH residents naturally move in real-world conditions and provide a new set of metrics to study tissue offloading and its role in pressure injury prevention.

Effect of Varying Repositioning Frequency on Pressure Injury Prevention in Nursing Home Residents: TEAM-UP Trial Results.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effectiveness of three nursing-home-wide repositioning intervals (2-, 3-, or 4-hour) without compromising pressure injury (PrI) incidence in 4 weeks. METHODS: An embedded pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in nine nursing homes (NHs) that were randomly assigned to one of three repositioning intervals. Baseline (12 months) and 4-week intervention data were provided during the TEAM-UP (Turn Everyone And Move for Ulcer Prevention) study. Intervention residents were without current PrIs, had PrI risk (Braden Scale score) ≥10 (not severe risk), and used viable 7-inch high-density foam mattresses. Each arm includes three NHs with an assigned single repositioning interval (2-, 3-, or 4-hour) as standard care during the intervention. A wireless patient monitoring system, using wearable single-use patient sensors, cued nursing staff by displaying resident repositioning needs on conveniently placed monitors. The primary outcome was PrI incidence; the secondary outcome was staff repositioning compliance fidelity. RESULTS: From May 2017 to October 2019, 1,100 residents from nine NHs were fitted with sensors; 108 of these were ineligible for some analyses because of missing baseline data. The effective sample size included 992 residents (mean age, 78 ± 13 years; 63% women). The PrI incidence during the intervention was 0.0% compared with 5.24% at baseline, even though intervention resident clinical risk scores were significantly higher (P < .001). Repositioning compliance for the 4-hour repositioning interval (95%) was significantly better than for the 2-hour (80%) or 3-hour (90%) intervals (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that current 2-hour protocols can be relaxed for many NH residents without compromising PrI prevention. A causal link was not established between repositioning interval treatments and PrI outcome; however, no new PrIs developed. Compliance improved as repositioning interval lengthened.

Relational Quality Between the RN and Nursing Assistant: Essential for Teamwork and Communication.

OBJECTIVE: Nurse (RN) and nursing assistant (NA) relational quality was examined along with associations between relational quality and evaluations of teamwork and communication. BACKGROUND: RN and NA teams constitute the primary nursing care delivery method, and the quality of their relationship affects system capacity for improving patient outcomes; adverse events are linked to communication and teamwork breakdowns. METHODS: RN (N = 889) and NA (263) relational quality was examined using a cross-sectional secondary analysis from system assessment with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. RESULTS: RN and NA perceived relational quality indicated significant differences in teamwork and safety grade ratings, with both groups reporting perceived teamwork as high when patient safety grade was low. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the benefits of improving the RN-NA teamwork-communication relationship. An enhanced RN-NA relational quality can be used by nurse leaders to optimize patient care delivery outcomes.

Manager's influence on the registered nurse and nursing assistant relational quality and patient safety culture.

AIMS: The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions of relational quality of the registered nurse and nursing assistant and examine how their view of the manager's influence impacts overall patient safety culture of a unit. BACKGROUND: The primary delivery of nursing care within acute care systems uses teams of registered nurses and nursing assistants. METHODS: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of data collected in the spring of 2018 using the Agency for Healthcare and Quality Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture and a seven-item questionnaire measuring relational quality was conducted. The sample included 1,152 responses. RESULTS: The manager influenced overall perceptions of safety regardless of the relational quality between the registered nurse and nursing assistant. CONCLUSIONS: This study found manager behaviours that promote patient safety and also influence overall perceptions of patient safety culture regardless of the relational quality between the registered nurse and nursing assistant. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Positive registered nurse and nursing assistant relational quality amplifies perceptions of patient safety culture, yet it is the manager's behaviours regarding safety that make the stronger contribution in building a culture of safety.

Influence of Nutrition and Nonnutrition Factors on Pressure Injury Outcomes Among At-Risk Asian Nursing Home Residents.

OBJECTIVE: Given evidence that malnutrition and immobility increase the risk of pressure injuries (PIs) in nursing home (NH) residents and that body mass index guidelines related to undernutrition may differ between Asian and non-Asian populations, the purpose of this study was to describe differences in overall nutrition, dietary intake, and nonnutrition risk factors for PIs between Asian and non-Asian NH residents. DESIGN AND SETTING: Secondary data analysis of a 3-week PI prevention randomized controlled trial in seven Canadian NHs. PATIENTS: Asian (n = 97) and non-Asian (n = 408) residents at moderate or high mobility-related risk of PI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident PI by racial subgroups. MAIN RESULTS: Asian residents (PI = 6) consumed significantly smaller meals and marginally different patterns of daily dietary consumption of protein types, liquid supplements, and snacks; took more frequent tub baths; and had marginally lower body mass index than non-Asian residents (PI = 4). CONCLUSIONS: Findings are consistent with earlier research suggesting that nutrition consumption and care patterns may predispose Asian NH residents to develop more PIs than their non-Asian counterparts. Future research should focus on the threshold for and types of nutrition support sufficient to improve nutrition status and reduce PI risk.

Pressure Injury Prevention: Outcomes and Challenges to Use of Resident Monitoring Technology in a Nursing Home.

PURPOSE: We examined the usability, user perceptions, and nursing occupational subculture associated with introduction of a patient monitoring system to facilitate nursing staff implementation of standard care for pressure ulcer/injury prevention in the nursing home setting. DESIGN: Mixed methods, pre-/posttest design. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Resident (n = 44) and staff (n = 38) participants were recruited from a 120-bed nursing home in the Southeast United States. METHODS: Digital data on frequency and position of residents were transmitted wirelessly from sensors worn on each resident's anterior chest to estimate nursing staff compliance with repositioning standard of care before and after visual monitors were activated to cue staff. The validated Nursing Culture Assessment Tool was used to determine changes in nursing culture. Benefits and challenges of implementation were assessed by 2 focus groups composed of 8 and 5 female members of the nursing staff (RN, LPN, CNA), respectively, and led by the three authors. Descriptive statistics were used for all quantitative variables, and inferential statistics were applied to categorical variables (χ test or Fisher exact test) and continuous variables (analyses of variance or equivalent nonparametric tests), respectively, where a 2-sided P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: System use significantly (P = .0003) improved compliance with every 2-hour repositioning standards. The nursing culture normative ranking percentage increased from 30.9% to 58.2%; this difference was not statistically significant. Focus groups expressed satisfaction with the monitoring system and recommended improvements to support adaptation and use of technology. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings support the usability of the patient monitoring system to facilitate repositioning. Implementation of multiple strategies for training, supplies, and communication may enhance uptake and effectiveness.

TEAM-UP for quality: a cluster randomized controlled trial protocol focused on preventing pressure ulcers through repositioning frequency and precipitating factors.

BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers/injuries (PrUs), a critical concern for nursing homes (NH), are responsible for chronic wounds, amputations, septic infections, and premature deaths. PrUs occur most commonly in older adults and NH residence is a risk factor for their development, with at least one of every nine U.S. NH residents experiencing a PrU and many NHs having high incidence and prevalence rates, in some instances well over 20%. PrU direct treatment costs are greater than prevention costs, making prevention-focused protocols critical. Current PrU prevention protocols recommend repositioning residents at moderate, high, and severe risk every 2 h. The advent of visco-elastic (VE) high-density foam support-surfaces over the past decade may now make it possible to extend the repositioning interval to every 3 or 4 h without increasing PrU development. The TEAM-UP (Turn Everyone And Move for Ulcer Prevention) study aims to determine: 1) whether repositioning interval can be extended for NH residents without compromising PrU incidence and 2) how changes in medical severity interact with changes in risk level and repositioning schedule to predict PrU development. METHODS: In this proposed cluster randomized study, 9 NHs will be randomly assigned to one of three repositioning intervals (2, 3, or 4 h) for a 4-week period. Each enrolled site will use a single NH-wide repositioning interval as the standard of care for residents at low, moderate, and high risk of PrU development (N = 951) meeting the following criteria: minimum 3-day stay, without PrUs, no adhesive allergy, and using VE support surfaces (mattresses). An FDA-cleared patient monitoring system that records position/movement of these residents via individual wireless sensors will be used to visually cue staff when residents need repositioning and document compliance with repositioning protocols. DISCUSSION: This study will advance knowledge about repositioning frequency and clinically assessed PrU risk level in relation to PrU incidence and medical severity. Outcomes of this research will contribute to future guidelines for more precise preventive nursing practices and refinement of PrU prevention guidelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registration: NCT02996331 .

An Evidence-Based Cue-Selection Guide and Logic Model to Improve Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Long-term Care.

Pressure ulcers have consistently resisted prevention efforts in long-term care facilities nationwide. Recent research has described cueing innovations that-when selected according to the assumptions and resources of particular facilities-support best practices of pressure ulcer prevention. This article synthesizes that research into a unified, dynamic logic model to facilitate effective staff implementation of a pressure ulcer prevention program.

Comparison Study of Braden Scale and Time-to-Erythema Measures in Long-term Care.

PURPOSE: The Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk is used to assess risk, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid guidelines suggest the use of a tissue tolerance procedure that detects time-to-erythema (TTE) to further refine tissue tolerance, a component of the Braden Scale. The aim of this study was to compare the Braden Scale and TTE as risk classification methods and their utility in identifying care planning interventions. DESIGN: Descriptive study using retrospective chart review. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Participants were a convenience sample of 89 adults 65 years or older residing in a long-term care facility in the Midwestern United States. The sample was drawn from a facility-generated list of 90 residents who had both Braden Scale and tissue tolerance testing performed within 24 hours of admission from any setting, readmission after a hospital stay, or performed as part of a routine annual reassessment. METHODS: Results of staff performance on the Braden Scale and TTE were compared as risk classification methods and based on their utility for identifying care planning interventions. Data were collected during 1 session when TTE and the Braden Scale were completed. Agreement between the 5 risk categories from the Braden Scale and 5 TTE risk categories was analyzed via the kappa statistic and Kendall tau-c statistic. Spearman or Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated as appropriate for ordinal and continuous risk, intervention, and severity measures. RESULTS: The mean Braden Scale score was 17.5 ± 3 (mean ± SD); the mean TTE-Bed was 2.35 ± 0.57 hours and the mean TTE-Chair was 2.18 ± 0.52. Using a Braden Scale score of 18 or less as a cut point for identifying clinically relevant risk for pressure ulcer development, 55 participants were deemed at risk, 62 had mobility subscale scores less than 4, 76 had activity subscale scores less than 4, and 73 were incontinent. The weighted kappa statistic demonstrated weak agreement between TTE-Bed and the Braden Scale Total Score (κ = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.002-0.07). Agreement was not significant for TTE-Chair and the Braden Scale Total Score (κ = 0.01; 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.04), TTE-Bed and Braden Scale-Mobility (κ = 0.09; 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.23) and between TTE-Chair and Braden Scale-Activity (κ = 0.07; 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.19). The TTE-Chair and TTE-Bed assessment demonstrated fair agreement (κ = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.19-0.55). The Braden Scale cumulative score where a lower score equates to higher risk was found to be correlated with the total number of interventions observed in the care plan (r = -0.62; P < .0001). Correlation between the Braden Scale-Mobility subscale score and in-bed mobility specific interventions was r = -0.64 (P < .0001), whereas correlation for TTE-Bed category and specific in-bed mobility interventions was r = 0.21 (P = .05). CONCLUSION: Study findings provide little support for tissue tolerance testing versus assessment using the validated Braden Scale for assessment of pressure ulcer risk. Study findings support the use of the Braden Scale to develop an individualized care plan based on the areas of risk.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Early Prediction of Pressure Injury Risk.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) have a major impact on patient outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs). Effective prevention relies on early and accurate risk assessment. Traditional risk-assessment tools, such as the Braden Scale, often fail to capture ICU-specific factors, limiting their predictive accuracy. Although artificial intelligence models offer improved accuracy, their "black box" nature poses a barrier to clinical adoption. OBJECTIVE: To develop an artificial intelligence-based HAPI risk-assessment model enhanced with an explainable artificial intelligence dashboard to improve interpretability at both the global and individual patient levels. METHODS: An explainable artificial intelligence approach was used to analyze ICU patient data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care. Predictor variables were restricted to the first 48 hours after ICU admission. Various machine-learning algorithms were evaluated, culminating in an ensemble "super learner" model. The model's performance was quantified using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve through 5-fold cross-validation. An explainer dashboard was developed (using synthetic data for patient privacy), featuring interactive visualizations for in-depth model interpretation at the global and local levels. RESULTS: The final sample comprised 28 395 patients with a 4.9% incidence of HAPIs. The ensemble super learner model performed well (area under curve = 0.80). The explainer dashboard provided global and patient-level interactive visualizations of model predictions, showing each variable's influence on the risk-assessment outcome. CONCLUSION: The model and its dashboard provide clinicians with a transparent, interpretable artificial intelligence-based risk-assessment system for HAPIs that may enable more effective and timely preventive interventions.

The Nursing Home Severity Index and Application to Pressure Injury Risk: Measure Development and Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: An assessment tool is needed to measure the clinical severity of nursing home residents to improve the prediction of outcomes and provide guidance in treatment planning. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the development of the Nursing Home Severity Index, a clinical severity measure targeted for nursing home residents with the potential to be individually tailored to different outcomes, such as pressure injury. METHODS: A retrospective nonexperimental design was used to develop and validate the Nursing Home Severity Index using secondary data from 9 nursing homes participating in the 12-month preintervention period of the Turn Everyone and Move for Ulcer Prevention (TEAM-UP) pragmatic clinical trial. Expert opinion and clinical literature were used to identify indicators, which were grouped into severity dimensions. Index performance and validation to predict risk of pressure injury were accomplished using secondary data from nursing home electronic health records, Minimum Data Sets, and Risk Management Systems. Logistic regression models including a resident's Worst-Braden score with/without severity dimensions generated propensity scores. Goodness of fit for overall models was assessed using C statistic; the significance of improvement of fit after adding severity components to the model was determined using the likelihood ratio chi-square test. The significance of each component was assessed with odds ratios. Validation based on randomly selected 65% training and 35% validation data sets was used to confirm the reliability of the severity measure. Finally, the discriminating ability of models was evaluated using propensity stratification to evaluate which model best discriminated between residents with/without pressure injury. RESULTS: Data from 1015 residents without pressure injuries on admission were used for the Nursing Home Severity Index-Pressure Injury and included laboratory, weights/vitals/pain, underweight, and locomotion severity dimensions. Logistic regression C statistic measuring predictive accuracy increased by 19.3% (from 0.627 to 0.748; P<.001) when adding four severity dimensions to Worst-Braden scores. Significantly higher odds of developing pressure injuries were associated with increasing dimension scores. The use of the three highest propensity deciles predicting the greatest risk of pressure injury improved predictive accuracy by detecting 21 more residents who developed pressure injury (n=58, 65.2% vs n=37, 42.0%) when both severity dimensions and Worst-Braden score were included in prediction modeling. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical Nursing Home Severity Index-Pressure Injury was successfully developed and tested using the outcome of pressure injury. Overall predictive capacity was enhanced when using severity dimensions in combination with Worst-Braden scores. This index has the potential to significantly impact the quality of care decisions aimed at improving individual pressure injury prevention plans. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02996331; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02996331.

A nurse-led interdisciplinary leadership approach targeting pressure ulcer prevention in long-term care.

Mounting evidence suggests that the quality of outcomes in long-term care can be improved by strengthening the leadership behaviors of nurses. Consequently, a reduction in the prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers (PUs) is thought to be possible through a nurse-led, team-based approach. The purposes of this article were to (1) advocate for greater nurse-led interdisciplinary teamwork focusing on PU prevention and (2) describe how a transformational and practice-based framework can be used to guide the long-term care team to improve PU quality care outcomes. Application of nurse-led, team-conceptualized strategies enables interdisciplinary workers to partner and more effectively participate in PU prevention programs, thus deepening engagement in the organization's overall approach to achieving quality outcomes.

Pressure Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention in Patients With COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Patients critically ill with COVID-19 are at risk for hospital-acquired pressure injury, including device-related pressure injury. METHODS: Braden Scale predictive validity was compared between patients with and without COVID-19, and a logistic regression model was developed to identify risk factors for device-related pressure injury. RESULTS: A total of 1920 patients were included in the study sample, including 407 with COVID-19. Among the latter group, at least 1 hospital-acquired pressure injury developed in each of 120 patients (29%); of those, device-related pressure injury developed in 55 patients (46%). The Braden Scale score area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.72 in patients without COVID-19 and 0.71 in patients with COVID-19, indicating fair to poor discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Fragile skin and prone positioning during mechanical ventilatory support were risk factors for device-related pressure injury. Clinicians may consider incorporating factors not included in the Braden Scale (eg, oxygenation and perfusion) in routine risk assessment and should maintain vigilance in their efforts to protect patients with COVID-19 from device-related pressure injury.