Triggering change in perioperative pressure injury risk assessment: A project report

Introduction: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are generally preventable, yet continue to be common adverse events in Australian hospitals, resulting in significant hospital expense and unnecessary harm to patients. Nurses use an appropriate assessment tool to assess patient pressure injury risk, such as the Braden Scale. Despite it being a commonly used tool in ward environments, the Braden Scale is considered by many to be unsuitable to assess patient risk during the intra-operative period. This project trialled using an additional pressure injury risk assessment tool that considers specific intra-operative factors, prior to the patient entering the operating theatre, to determine patient risk.