PURPOSES: To evaluate 2 commonly overlooked sources of error in measuring blood pressure (BP) in the office, improper patient positioning and frequency of terminal digit bias (TDB) using manual and automated (BP) devices. METHODS: BPs recorded by 3…
OBJECTIVES: Pain related to the gurney is a frequent complaint of older emergency department (ED) patients. The authors hypothesized that these patients may have less pain and higher satisfaction if allowed to sit in a reclining hospital chair.…
Taking blood pressure with the patient seated on the edge of an exam table led to misclassification of prehypertension or hypertension in 13.2% of patients.