Avaliaçäo de técnicas da medida da pressäo arterial pelos profissionais de saúde / Assessment of the techniques of blood pressure measurement by health professionals

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess blood pressure measurement by health professionals of a public hospital in Säo Paulo State. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews and direct observation were performed with a verification list according to the criteria reported by Perloff et al. One hundred and five health professionals took part in the study. After measuring blood pressure, the level of concordance between the way the procedure was performed and the recommended one was assessed. RESULTS: Nurses and nurse's aides abided by 40 percent of the recommended procedures for adequate blood pressure measurement. The other categories of health professionals (nursing and medicine teachers, physicians, residents, and nursing students) abided by approximately 70 percent. CONCLUSION: Permanent educational activities aiming at standardizing blood pressure measurement should be implemented among the different categories of health professionals