Nursing technology in the prevention of pressure ulcer in people with spinal cord injury

Cross-sectional and exploratory-descriptive study, conducted in a public hospital, of reference in trauma, in the period from May to October 2008. The objective was to evaluate the nursing technology using the Waterlow Scale to prevent pressure ulcers in people with spinal cord injury. Sixty patients with spinal cord injury were evaluated using the Waterlow Scale, of which 75% had final score of 28 points, with high risk for developing pressure ulcers. After ten days of hospitalization, 48,3% of those patients had not received any preventive guidelines; 68,3% of them already had pressure ulcers. The use of the Waterlow Scale allows monitoring of assistance, being able to influence clinical outcomes.