Resources for the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment based
Proactive and Personalised Primary Care of the Elderly
Waterlow Score
Purpose : Assessment of risk for the development of pressure sore or ulcer
Admin time : 5-10 min
User Friendly : High
Administered by : Nurses, healthcare professionals and carers at the patient/client interface
Content : Seven known risk factors that contribute towards the development of pressure ulcers.
These risk factors include the patient's:
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age and gender
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body mass index (BMI)
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level of continence
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skin condition (healthy or broken)
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appetite
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level of mobility (fully mobile to bed-bound)
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individual risk factors, e.g. medication, surgery and trauma
The patient is then allocated a score for each of the above criteria. The total score, in conjunction with the nursing staff's clinical expertise, places the patient into one of three pressure sore risk categories:
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a score of 10-14 indicates "at-risk"
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a score of 15-19 indicates "high risk"
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a score of 20 and above indicates "very high risk"
Author : Judy Waterlow, 1985
Copyright : Judy Waterlow
Free to download and use from copyright holder's website
This Tool is used in the assessment of
Pressure Ulcers
Back To : Pressure Ulcers
Pressure Ulcers is one of 4 conditions identified as
Geriatric Syndromes
Back To : Geriatric Syndromes