Nursing Intervention Classifications (NIC) validated for patients at risk of pressure ulcers.

OBJECTIVE to validate the Nursing Intervention Classifications (NIC) for the diagnosis 'Risk of Impaired Skin Integrity' in patients at risk of pressure ulcers (PU). METHOD the sample comprised 16 expert nurses. The data was collected with an instrument about the interventions and their definitions were scored on a Likert scale by the experts. The data was analyzed statistically, using the calculation of weighted averages (WA). The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (56/2010). RESULTS nine interventions were validated as 'priority' (WA ≥0.80), among them Prevention of PU (MP=0.92); 22 as 'suggested' (WA >0.50 and <0.80) and 20 were discarded (WA ≤0.50). CONCLUSIONS the prevention of PU results from the implementation of specific interventions related to the risk factors for development of the lesion, with implications for nursing practice, teaching and research.