What is normal Waterlow Score?
Potential scores range from 1 to 64. A total Waterlow score ≥10 indicates risk for pressure ulcer. A high risk score is ≥15. A very high risk exists at scores ≥20.
What is Waterlow Score chart?
The Waterlow consists of seven items: build/weight, height, visual assessment of the skin, sex/age, continence, mobility, and appetite, and special risk factors, divided into tissue malnutrition, neurological deficit, major surgery/trauma, and medication.
What does Waterlow measure?
The Waterlow Score is a medical assessment tool used to assess the risk of a bed-bound patient developing pressure sores (bedsores). The tool is widely used in accident and emergency departments, hospital wards, and residential nursing homes across the UK.
What is the Waterlow risk score?
The Waterlow Score is an interdisciplinary assessment that determines an individual’s risk of developing a PI. The scale is a baseline assessment of a client’s condition that covers a wide variety of factors including mobility, continence, malnutrition and special risks.
When should a Waterlow score be done?
All patients must be reassessed using the Waterlow Assessment Tool immediately if their condition changes. If considered “high risk” or “very high risk” on initial assessment then reassessment must occur at least 3x weekly.
What does the Waterlow do?
The Waterlow assessment was designed and researched by Judy Waterlow. It calculates the risk of pressure ulcers developing on an individual basis through a simple points-based system.
How effective is the Waterlow assessment tool?
It found that, overall, 71% of patients were considered to be at some degree of risk when assessed using the waterlow scale. The scores from this risk assessment tool suggest that nearly three quarters of patients admitted to a general hospital may need pressure ulcer prevention strategies.
What is Waterlow assessment NHS?
The waterlow assessment tool is the trust approved tool for assessing a person’s level of risk of developing a pressure ulcer.
When should a Waterlow assessment be done?