Knowledge, perception and practice of Québec nurses for ambulatory and clinic blood pressure measurement methods: are we there yet?

Abstract

Guidelines regarding blood pressure measurement (BPM) methods, namely home (HBPM), ambulatory (ABPM), office (OBPM) and automated (AOBP) are published by Hypertension Canada and rely on accurate measurement technique. Nurses commonly perform BPM but their knowledge, perception and practice considering all methods is understudied. This study is the first to establish the picture of Québec nurses working in primary care settings concerning the four BPM methods. All nurses licensed to practice in primary care in Québec were targeted in our survey. Data were collected using a validated and pretested investigator-initiated questionnaire in English and French. A personalized e-mail invitation, and two reminders, including a link to a secured platform was sent in December 2019. A certificate of ethics was issued by UQTR. A total of 453 nurses participated in the study. Median age was 40 ± 11 years, and 92% were women. The overall score on BPM methods knowledge was slightly below 50% (46% ± 23). The perception was mostly positive, with an overall score above 50% (73% ± 8). In practice, HBPM was recommended by 47% of nurses, and ABPM by 18%. Although AOBP is the preferred method in Canada, only 25% of the nurses use it, including the 57% that use an oscillometric device and 11% that use manual auscultation. Nurses working in primary care play a central role in BPM. Our results highlight that overall knowledge and practice are suboptimal. Resources should, therefore, be allocated to ensure that initial training and continuing education are addressed.