Skin-Color-Compensated Colorimeter for Detection and Classification of Pressure Ulcers

Pressure ulcer (PU) development is a common problem in long-term healthcare settings. Pressure ulcers are diagnosed clinically using the blanch test, a subjective tool, which relies heavily on the clinician´s expertise to visually identify ulceration cues. However in individuals with higher melanin content, or darker skin coloration, it becomes more difficult for clinicians to visually identify ulceration cues. In this paper we describe the development of a hand-held instrument that can detect and classify the severity of incipient pressure ulcer lesions using narrow-band reflectance spectroscopy.