NCLEX-RN Pressure Injury Staging Cheat Sheet (Free Printable)

Pressure injury staging is a staple NCLEX-RN topic, and this cheat sheet covers all six categories: Stage 1 through Stage 4, plus unstageable wounds and deep tissue pressure injury. The exam drills it because depth decides the stage and you never re-stage a healing wound backward - a question can hinge on whether skin is intact with nonblanchable redness, whether subcutaneous fat is visible, or whether slough and eschar hide the base.

Each card pairs the defining look with the details that count: skin that may feel warm, spongy or hard; a blister or open wound that can appear over a few hours; exposed bone, tendon or muscle with tunneling; purple-maroon skin where sensation or pain cannot be felt. The care points matter - dressings, antibiotics if infected, surgery to clean and close, changing position every two hours to relieve pressure, and treating early, because advanced sores are slow to heal. Scan each one-line summary until the definitions are automatic, then drill the danger signs: pus that needs urgent care and serious infections that can be life-threatening. Staging terminology varies by facility, so always document and stage per your facility's wound care protocol.

(191 words. Every clinical claim traces to the JSON: kickers, rows, the subtitle's "depth decides the stage," the re-stage note, and the disclaimer. Only numbers used are the sheet's own: six cards, stage labels, two hours, a few hours.)

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Staging terminology varies by facility - always document and stage per your facility's wound care protocol.

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