Need Blood Pressure Checked? You May Want To Sit Down For This News

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Also Included In: Hypertension;  Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 06 May 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Perching on an exam table with arms and legs dangling is not the most accurate (nor medically recommended) position for a blood pressure check, according to a study released in the April 2008 issue of MEDSURG Nursing.

In an eye-opening report on the most common diagnostic test patients receive in the doctor's office, researcher Melly Turner and her colleagues write that patients who were in the proper position - sitting in a chair, back supported, feet on the floor, with arm at heart level - had blood pressure readings consistently and significantly lower than the usual exam table option. The chair position is recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Blood Pressure Assessment and the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7).

Turner tested 100 patients (male and female) visiting an ambulatory cardiology clinic, comparing the exam table readings with those taken from a chair the proper way. Systolic pressure readings taken in timed intervals in the chair ranged an average of 12.5% - 14.2% lower than the table. Diastolic readings were 4.4% - 7.6% lower.

During the study, researchers discovered the majority of staff were unaware of the JNC-7 and AHA recommendations, many saying that they were never trained on the chair position technique. Recognizing the importance of the findings, the authors quickly disseminated the results in newsletters and reports and at meetings.

Requests from other facilities on how to implement the findings are flowing in as providers hear the news, and Turner adds that nurses have a key role as front-line providers in ensuring proper techniques.

Measuring Blood Pressure Accurately in an Ambulatory Cardiology Clinic Setting: Do Patient Position and Timing Really Matter?
Melly Turner, BSN, RN-BC et al.
MEDSURG Nursing April 2008 - http://www.medsurgnurse.org

About MEDSURG Nursing - The Journal of Adult Health

MEDSURG Nursing, The Journal of Adult Health, is the official journal of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). The journal provides its readers with the multidisciplinary information they need to provide clinically excellent patient care and to enhance their nursing practice. MEDSURG Nursing supports adult health/medical-surgical nurses as they strive for excellence in patient care, private practice, and outpatient health care settings in urban, suburban, and rural locations. Each peer-reviewed issue of MEDSURG Nursing features a comprehensive discussion and description of today's clinical issues in adult health/medical-surgical nursing. MEDSURG Nursing and AMSN are committed to the advancement of adult health/medical-surgical nursing practice. The journal is published six times a year.

MEDSURG Nursing