Development and Pilot Analysis of the Bruise Visibility Scale

• Main Authors: Katherine N. Scafide PhD, RN, Ghareeb Bahari PhD, RN, Nesibe S. Kutahyalioglu MSN, RN, Mona Mohammadifirouzeh MSN, RN, Susan M. Senko DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-06-01
• Series: SAGE Open Nursing
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608211020931

Introduction The accuracy of assessing and documenting injuries is crucial to facilitate ongoing clinical care and forensic referrals for victims of violence. The purpose of this cross-sectional, pilot study was to evaluate the inter-rater reliability and criterion validity of a newly developed Bruise Visibility Scale (BVS). Methods: The instrument was administered to a diverse sample (n = 30) with existing bruises. Bruises were assessed under fluorescent lighting typical of an examination room by three raters who were randomly selected from a pool of eight experienced clinical nurses. Colorimetry values of the bruise and surrounding tissue were obtained using a spectrophotometer. Results: The BVS demonstrated good single (ICC = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.54 – 0.84) and average agreement (ICC = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78 – 0.94) between raters. A significant, positive moderate correlation was found between mean BVS scores and overall color difference between the bruise and surrounding skin (Pearson’s r = 0.614, p  < 0.001). Conclusion: With further research, the BVS has the potential to be a reliable and valid tool for documenting the degree of clarity in bruise appearance.