Using Technology to Detect Erythema Across Skin Tones.
Sharon Eve Sonenblum, Rahee Patel, Sarah Phrasavath and 2 others
PMID 37729162WHAT IT FOUND
A handheld colorimeter measured suction-induced redness in healthy adults across light, medium, and dark skin tone groups, with similar change at the bony site but a recovery difference at the forearm.
It may aid skin assessment when visual detection is difficult.
Key findings
01The colorimeter's lightness and melanin readings matched Munsell and Pantone skin tone ratings closely.
02The colorimeter detected increased redness after suction at both the bony site and the forearm, and redness remained above baseline after recovery.
03At the bony site, the redness change did not differ across skin tone groups; at the forearm, the light skin tone group differed from medium and dark groups after recovery.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample of 61 healthy adults, not patients with wounds or pressure injuries. It does not show how the colorimeter performs in clinical skin care. Only 7 participants were in the dark skin tone group, and all were at the lightest value within that group. This limits conclusions about darker skin tones. Two participants were not rated with the Munsell Color chart. Erythema was induced by suction for 3 minutes at the ulnar head and 2 minutes at the forearm, not by real pressure injury development. The measured redness may not match pressure injury redness. The study measured device readings, not patient outcomes such as pressure injury prevention, hospital stay, infection, or death. The proposed Eumelanin Scale-Modified grouping is based on this small sample and needs further research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this device detects pressure injuries in patients or improves outcomes. It was tested only in healthy adults after suction-induced redness, and the study did not follow anyone for pressure injury development.