Reproducibility
Back to the Clinical Scenario
The evidence that you have is:
- a series of blood pressure readings by different clinical staff, some of which exceed the treatment threshold of 140/90 mmHg
- an understanding of the following concepts:
- accuracy (validity) and precision of clinical measurements
- physiologic variability
- intra-rater and inter-rater reliability
Reflection
So.... would you treat this patient for hypertension?
Peter Bolli, Martin Myers, Donald McKay for The Canadian Hypertension Education Program. Applying the 2005 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations: 1. Diagnosis of hypertension. Can. Med. Assoc. J., Aug 2005; 173: 480 - 483.
N. R. C. Campbell and D. W. McKay Accurate blood pressure measurement: Why does it matter? Can. Med. Assoc. J., August 1, 1999; 161(3): 277 - 278.
N. R. C. Campbell and D. W. McKay Accurate blood pressure measurement: Why does it matter? Can. Med. Assoc. J., August 1, 1999; 161(3): 277 - 278.