Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Swapping a GP for a nurse is an effective way of eradicating white-coat hypertension, because it relaxes patients and lowers their blood-pressure readings, new research reveals.
A UK meta-analysis of 14 studies found that mean blood pressures measured by nurses were 8.5/4.2mmHg lower than readings from doctors.
It concluded that blood pressure measurements from GPs might be ?unreliable for
clinical decisions', and that all measurements should be delegated to nurses ? in a recommendation with wide-ranging implications for how practices organise services.
When studies with a high risk of bias were removed from the analysis, the gap was reduced but remained, with a mean difference of 4.8mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 1.5mmHg for diastolic.
The difference in diastolic readings was not found to be statistically significant.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/newsart...-gps-for-nurses-eases-white-coat-hypertension
(free registration required)
A UK meta-analysis of 14 studies found that mean blood pressures measured by nurses were 8.5/4.2mmHg lower than readings from doctors.
It concluded that blood pressure measurements from GPs might be ?unreliable for
clinical decisions', and that all measurements should be delegated to nurses ? in a recommendation with wide-ranging implications for how practices organise services.
When studies with a high risk of bias were removed from the analysis, the gap was reduced but remained, with a mean difference of 4.8mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 1.5mmHg for diastolic.
The difference in diastolic readings was not found to be statistically significant.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/newsart...-gps-for-nurses-eases-white-coat-hypertension
(free registration required)
