The doctor always raises the patient's blood pressure

(An analysis of the scientific data revealed for the first time), a patient's blood pressure was significantly higher (about 7 / 4mmHg) if measured by doctors instead of being measured. by nurses.

The above analysis was led by the University of Exeter Medical School and supported by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership, at the Health and Research Agency Applied Health Research and Care, West Male Penisula (NIHR PenCLAHRC).

Dr. Christopher Clark of the University of Exeter said that the findings published in The British Journal of General Practice magazine may lead to changes in clinical practice. "Doctors should continue to measure blood pressure as part of a patient's health assessment or a health checkup routine, but should not rely on blood pressure readings performed by doctors to make clinical diagnosis decisions ".

The difference between blood pressure readings performed by doctors and patients is enough to push some patients over the threshold to treat high blood pressure, and unnecessary drug use can lead to more Unwanted side effects.

Some patients may be required to continue to monitor their blood pressure at home unnecessarily, which may create anxiety. These inappropriate measures can all be avoided by simple means, so that anyone can take measurements and record blood pressure instead of a doctor.

'Researchers also need to think carefully about how to explain this effect in comparative studies conducted by doctors and nurses'. Some studies have concluded that nurses work better when treating hypertension, when in fact these findings may defeat this tendency to record.

The fact that doctors record higher blood pressure in the same patient is called "white cape effect" and is believed to be the result of a patient's physical reaction to being examined by a doctor. This has been noted in some studies, but Dr. Clark's research is the first comprehensive analysis of available data to quantify this impact.

Dr. Clark's team examined the blood pressure of 1019 people and their blood pressure was measured by both the doctor and the nurse at the same visit. Dr. Clark said: 'Our results come from different environments across 10 countries, so we can be confident that this research result can be generalized to any country. What health care environment is blood pressure being measured? These results come from research trials - our next task is to check data from GP surgeries.

Professor John Campbell, a professor at the University of Exeter Medical School and a co-author of the study, said: 'This interesting study is part of our portfolio of test factors. Investigate primary care research, which may need to be considered when doctors and other health professionals perform risk assessment assessments of patients with cardiovascular disease. A doctor's awareness of the factors that can affect accuracy in blood pressure evaluation is important, as this is one of the most common clinical evaluations to be performed, and blood pressure is an important parameter related to the health of the patient and the state of happiness may follow. "