New research shows need for re-training on blood pressure measurement

CHICAGO, Nov. 18, 2019 – With nearly half of U.S. adults living with high blood pressure, today, the American Medical Association (AMA) and American Heart Association (AHA) announced new survey results emphasizing the need for health care professionals to receive consistent and frequent re-training in measuring blood pressure (BP). While measuring BP is a common procedure, and BP guidelines recommend that health care providers receive periodic re-training, a recent AMA and AHA commissioned survey indicates that many medical professionals may not receive additional training or regular re-assessment of their BP measurement skills.

Of the more than 2,000 health care professionals surveyed, half of the physicians and physician assistants who responded said they had not received BP measurement re-training after their initial training in professional school. A third of nurse respondents and a quarter of medical assistants also said they had not received re-training. However, more than half of those surveyed said some form of standardized blood pressure measurement refresher should be required.