Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN) Practice Exam

A patient who experiences one or two liquid diarrhea episodes per shift, but has dry skin, would receive what score for Moisture on the Braden Scale?

1. 1

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

The correct answer is: 2

The Braden Scale assesses a patient's risk for developing pressure ulcers, using several criteria, one of which is moisture. In this case, a patient who experiences one or two episodes of liquid diarrhea per shift may be considered to have an increased risk due to the potential for skin exposure to moisture, which can compromise skin integrity. However, the patient also has dry skin, which suggests that while there are intermittent episodes of moisture, overall skin condition does not appear overly compromised by moisture. According to the Braden Scale, a score of 2 indicates that the patient experiences occasional moisture but is not persistently wet, representing a scenario where moisture exposure is present but not extended or excessively harmful. Scores higher than 2 would indicate more consistent or significant moisture issues, while a score of 1 would reflect severe moisture issues, such as continuous exposure. Therefore, a score of 2 is appropriate given the patient's intermittent liquid diarrhea episodes balanced against their dry skin condition, marking them as at risk but not severely compromised.