Factors Overlooked in Blood Pressure Measurement: The Effect of Back, Feet and Arm Support

Abstract

In the guidelines, it is recommended that the patient's back should be supported, that the lower part of the arm should be supported at the heart level, and the feet should be kept flat on the floor. However, the effects of errors stemming from ignoring these recommendations are unknown because the number of studies conducted on this issue is limited. In this study, the authors aimed to investigate the effect of arm, back and feet support on blood pressure values during blood pressure measurement in healthy individuals. 
 In the study, 111 individuals were included. Their mean age was 21.95±1.57 years. Their systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured using four measurement procedures, three of which were erroneous measurements (feet without support, back without support, and arm without support) and one of which was the standard procedure recommended by the guidelines. Procedures were randomized and the participants' blood pressures were measured three times for each procedure. 
 While the mean systolic values determined with the measurements performed without feet support and back support were higher than were those determined with the standard measurements (t=-4.872, p