Reliability of the Bates-Jensen wound assessment tool for pressure injury assessment: The pressure ulcer detection study

The Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) is used to assess wound healing in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate BWAT use among nursing home residents with pressure injury. Findings and reliability estimates from the BWAT related to pressure injury characteristics (stage, anatomic location) and natural history (resolved, persisted) among 142 ethnically and racially diverse residents are reported. In this prospective 16-week study, 305 pressure injuries among 142 participants (34% prevalence) are described by stage, anatomic location, and BWAT scores. Visual and subepidermal moisture assessments were obtained from sacrum, buttock, ischial, and heel ulcers weekly. Participants were 14% Asian, 28% Black, 18% Hispanic, 40% White with a mean age of 78 ± 14 years, and were 62% female; 80% functionally dependent (bed mobility extensive/total assistance) and at risk (Braden Scale score 14 ± 2.7). The reliability coefficient for BWAT score (all participants, all anatomic locations) was high (r = 0.90; p < 0.0001; n = 1,161 observations). Weighted Kappas for characteristics ranging from 0.46 (skin color surrounding wound) to 0.79 (undermining) were consistent for all participants. BWAT scores showed strongest agreement coefficients for stage 4 pressure injury (r = 0.69), pressure injuries among Asian and White ethnicity/racial groups (r = 0.89, and r = 0.91, respectively), and sacrum anatomic location (r = 0.92) indicating scores are better correlated to fair skin tones. Lower agreement coefficients were demonstrated for stage 2 pressure injury (r = 0.38) and pressure injuries among African American and Hispanic ethnicity/racial groups (r = 0.88 and 0.87, respectively). BWAT scores were significantly different by pressure injury stage (F = 496.7, df = 6, p < 0.001) and anatomic location (F = 33.76, df = 8, p < 0.001). BWAT score correlated with pressure injury natural history (ulcer resolved 18.4 ± 7.4, ulcer persisted 24.9 ± 10.0; F = 70.11, df = 2, p < 0.001), but not with comorbidities. The BWAT provides reliable, objective data for assessing pressure injury healing progress.