Competency information
Details
Measure blood pressure in a range of adult patients, using both an:
- manual method
- automated method.
Considerations
- British Hypertension Society Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurement.
- Importance of cuff size.
- Location of pulse in the cubital fossa.
- The correct use of palpation to estimate systolic BP.
- Correct inflation of the cuff to at least 30 mmHg above the estimated BP.
- Correct rate of pressure reduction to maximise results.
- Difficulties that may be encountered in obtaining an accurate BP measurement and relevant remedial actions.
- How to check and confirm results.
- Normal range for systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- White coat hypertension.
- When to refer results to a senior colleague for further action.
- Routine maintenance and calibration procedures.
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 4 | Outcome Plan and perform BP measurement on a range of patients, using manual and automatic methods. |