An audit of 182 clinicians revealed that only 8% and 4% preferred the recommended horizontal arm position for measuring blood pressure in sitting and standing subjects, respectively.
Cross-Sectional (n=182)
What is the preferred arm position for blood pressure measurement among clinicians?
Most clinicians do not use the recommended horizontal arm position for blood pressure measurement, which may lead to falsely elevated readings and overdiagnosis of hypertension.
Abstract Although arm position significantly alters blood pressure, this aspect of clinical behaviour has not been evaluated. Consequently, an audit of arm position preference involving 182 clinicians including physicians, general practitioners and nurses was performed. A marked variation in standing and sitting arm position preference, both between and within the three groups, was recorded, although approximately two‐thirds of clinicians preferred the same arm position in the standing and sitting position. In particular, only 8 and 4% of clinicians chose the horizontal arm position in sitting and standing subjects, respectively. Choosing the dependent arm is a behaviour likely to lead to the overdiagnosis of hypertension and inappropriate treatment of hypertension because the dependent arm falsely elevates both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These results should encourage national and international organizations to reaffirm the importance of the horizontal arm in the measurement of blood pressure. (Intern Med J 2004; 34: 290−291)
Mourad et al. (2004) conducted a cross-sectional in Blood pressure measurement (n=182). Arm position preference audit was evaluated on Arm position preference in sitting and standing subjects. An audit of 182 clinicians revealed that only 8% and 4% preferred the recommended horizontal arm position for measuring blood pressure in sitting and standing subjects, respectively.