References

Allan J, Sheppard K. Monitoring a pulse in adults. Br J Nurs. 2018; 27:(21)1237-1239 https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2018.27.21.1237

British and Irish Hypertension Society. Blood pressure measurement. Using manual blood pressure monitors. 2017. https://tinyurl.com/ybz44moe (accessed 9 January 2019)

Dougherty L, Lister S. The Royal Marsden manual of clinical nursing procedures, 9th edn. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell; 2015

Fetzer SJ. Vital signs and physical assessment, 8th edn. In: Perry AG, Potter PA, Ostendorf WR (eds). St Louis. MO: Mosby; 2014

Foley V. Clinical measurement. In: Delves-Yates C (ed). London: SAGE Publications; 2015

Ford C, Park LJ. Hand hygiene and handwashing: key to preventing the transfer of pathogens. Br J Nurs. 2018; 27:(20)1164-1166 https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2018.27.20.1164

Ford C, Park LJ. How to apply and remove medical gloves. Br J Nurs. 2019; 28:(1)26-28 https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2019.28.1.26

James GD, Gerber LM. Measuring arterial blood pressure in humans: auscultatory and automatic measurement techniques for human biological field studies. Am J Hum Biol. 2018; 30:(1) https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23063

Lancaster RJ, Westphal J, Jambunathan J. Using SBAR to promote clinical judgment in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2015; 54:(3)S31-S34 https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20150218-08

Levick JR. An introduction to cardiovascular physiology, 5th edn. London: Hodder Arnold; 2010

Moore T. Observations and monitoring vital signs. In: Moore T, Cunningham S (eds). Abingdon: Routledge; 2017

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management. 2011. https://tinyurl.com/z7shd55 (accessed 9 January 2019)

Nursing and Midwifery Council. Future nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurses. 2018. https://tinyurl.com/yaln93xh (accessed 9 January 2019)

O'Brien EO. Blood pressure measurement, 6th edn. In: Beevers DG, Lip GYH, O'Brien E (eds). Chichester: Wiley Blackwell; 2015

Odell M. Chapter 3. Recognizing and managing the critically ill and ‘at risk’ patient on a ward. In: Mallett J, Albarran JW, Richardson A (eds). Chichester: Wiley Blackwell; 2013

Tanner CA. Thinking like a nurse: a research-based model of clinical judgment in nursing. J Nurs Educ. 2006; 45:(6)204-211

Tomlinson BU. Accurately measuring blood pressure: factors that contribute to false measurements. Medsurg Nurs. 2010; 19:(2)90-94

Wallymahmed M. Blood pressure measurement. Nurs Stand. 2008; 22:(19)45-48 https://doi.org/10.7748/ns2008.01.22.19.45.c6314

Watson F, Rebair A. The art of noticing: essential to nursing practice. Br J Nurs. 2014; 23:(10)514-517 https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2014.23.10.514

How to take manual blood pressure

24 January 2019

Clinical

02 January 2019

Volume 28 · Issue 2

ISSN (print): 0966-0461

ISSN (online): 2052-2819

This article focuses on non-invasive blood pressure (BP) measurement, using the manual technique. This vital observation is practised by all nursing fields in primary and secondary healthcare environments.

A BP measurement in its simplest form is a determinant of individual cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped out of the heart and into the aorta per minute) and the systematic vascular resistance (the diameter of the arterial blood vessels) (Foley, 2015).

BP measurement is widely recognised as being a routine observation that can be used as a way to assess cardiac output and its effectiveness for adequate tissue perfusion (Odell, 2013). Thus, the presence of a BP is a requirement for human existence and BP measurement, which includes interpreting results and taking appropriate action, is considered a key clinical skill to acquire and maintain as results can determine patient care (Doughty and Lister, 2015).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting British Journal of Nursing and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for nurses. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

Limited access to clinical or professional articles
Unlimited access to the latest news, blogs and video content

Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address