The Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk

In 1984, I developed The Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk as a screening tool for a research study. Together with Dr Nancy Bergstrom and other colleagues, we tested the Braden Scale in several settings, and the results of those tests were published in 1987.1,2 To my amazement, use of the Braden Scale disseminated rapidly! People from around the world began asking for permission to translate the Braden Scale into a variety of languages. Today, it has circulated to all continents and to more than 30 countries. Nurses who were concerned with wound care were crucial to the widespread acceptance of the Braden Scale. The 1987 publications coincided with the early stages of the evidence-based practice…