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Score the six Braden subscales: sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction/shear (1–3 only). The calculator sums subscores (6–23) and maps the total to common pressure-injury risk teaching bands. Pair with our fall risk calculator. Not the official copyrighted manual or your hospital’s legal charting standard.
Last updated: June 5, 2026
The Braden Scale is copyrighted. Use your facility’s licensed flowsheet for legal documentation. This page teaches sum scoring and risk interpretation only.
Moderate risk (total 13–14, educational)
13
Braden range 6–23 (teaching)
Sensory
2
Moisture
2
Activity
2
Mobility
2
Nutrition
3
Friction
2
Moderate risk (total 13–14). Continue prevention measures and reassess after surgery, fever, incontinence changes, or new immobility.
The Braden Scale is copyrighted; use official training materials for staff competency and descriptor nuances. This page is for arithmetic and risk-band teaching only.
Very high (min)
6
Very high risk (≤9)
High risk
11
High risk (10–12)
Moderate (default)
13
Moderate risk (13–14)
Mild / at-risk
17
Mild / at-risk (15–18)
Lower risk (max)
23
Lower risk (19–23)
Five domains score 1–4; friction & shear scores 1–3. Higher subscores = lower risk within each domain.
| Domain | Range | Anchors | Teaching note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sensory perception | 1–4 | 1 completely limited → 4 no impairment | Ability to feel discomfort/pressure at pressure points; sedation and neuropathy lower scores |
| Moisture | 1–4 | 1 constantly moist → 4 rarely moist | Skin wetness from sweat, urine, stool, or wound drainage increases maceration risk |
| Activity | 1–4 | 1 bedfast → 4 walks frequently | How often patient leaves bed; bedfast patients need scheduled repositioning |
| Mobility | 1–4 | 1 completely immobile → 4 no limitation | Ability to change position independently; distinct from activity level |
| Nutrition | 1–4 | 1 very poor → 4 excellent | Usual food intake pattern; low scores prompt dietitian and protein assessment |
| Friction & shear | 1–3 | 1 problem → 3 no apparent problem | Only 1–3 subscale; sliding transfers and head-of-bed elevation drive shear |
| Total | Category | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ≤9 | Very high risk | Aggressive prevention bundle: q2h turns (per protocol), support surface, moisture barriers, nutrition consult, lift sheets |
| 10–12 | High risk | Increased skin surveillance, care-plan updates, therapy for mobility, document interventions per facility policy |
| 13–14 | Moderate risk | Continue prevention; rescore after surgery, fever, incontinence change, or new immobility |
| 15–18 | Mild / at-risk | Many hospitals flag <19 for prevention education and scheduled skin checks |
| 19–23 | Lower risk | Routine skin care; rescore when clinical status or mobility changes |
| Intervention | Detail |
|---|---|
| Repositioning | Turn schedule per policy (often q2h in bed, q1h in chair); use 30° lateral positions |
| Support surfaces | High-spec foam, alternating pressure, or low-air-loss per total score and tissue tolerance |
| Moisture management | Incontinence care, barrier creams, wicking fabrics, prompt linen changes |
| Nutrition | Adequate protein/calories; dietitian for scores 1–2; consider albumin/prealbumin context |
| Friction/shear reduction | Lift—don’t drag; heel offloading boots/pillows; limit HOB elevation when possible |
| Skin inspection | Daily head-to-toe especially sacrum, heels, ischia, trochanters, occiput, ears |
| Stage | Finding | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Non-blanchable erythema intact skin | May precede full-thickness injury—offload immediately |
| Stage 2 | Partial-thickness skin loss (blister or shallow open ulcer) | Protect from shear and moisture |
| Stage 3 | Full-thickness skin loss; adipose may be visible | Wound care consult; pressure relief essential |
| Stage 4 | Full-thickness with exposed bone/tendon/muscle | Highest acuity wound management |
| DTI / Unstageable | Purple/maroon intact skin or eschar-covered depth unknown | Do not debride eschar on heel without vascular consult per policy |
Clinical vignette: bedbound patient with sensory impairment, incontinence, poor intake, and sliding transfers—used in class to stress bundled prevention (turns, surface, moisture, nutrition, lift sheets), not alarm fatigue from the number alone.
Neuropathy, sedation, and incontinence-associated dermatitis raise risk before mobility scores worsen—do not wait for bedfast activity to intervene.
Chairfast patients need offloading and repositioning schedules; PT/OT mobility goals are standard companions in prevention education.
Protein-energy deficits lower tissue tolerance; friction 1–2 flags lift-sheet technique and HOB management during wound prevention curricula.
| Trigger | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Admission / transfer | Within 8–24 h per facility policy |
| Postoperative return | After anesthesia, new immobility, or OR positioning |
| Clinical change | Fever, sepsis, incontinence onset, weight loss, new sedation |
| Existing injury | After any new Stage 1+ finding regardless of prior score |
| Discharge planning | Home support surface and caregiver education if still at risk |
This Braden scale calculator performs arithmetic and teaching risk-band mapping only. It is not the copyrighted Braden manual, not an FDA-cleared device, and not a substitute for bedside skin assessment, institutional policies, or wound care specialist recommendations.
Suggested hashtags: #BradenScale #WoundCare #Nursing #PatientSafety