Automated Blood Pressure (AOBP)
The Division of General Internal Medicine (DGIM) has a long history of quality improvement work in blood pressure measurement and management. DGIM has been an early adopter of automated office blood pressure (AOBP), which has been shown to provide more accurate blood pressure measurements. A concern about the AOBP protocol has been the length of time needed for staff to complete such measurements, and whether staff could do other productive clinical work during this time.
A new study led by Drs. John Doane and Barry Stults and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension shows that on average it only takes <5 minutes to do AOBP and that clinical staff engaged in other productive activities during 83% of a BP procedures. The article also notes that education and training programs are critical for facilitating effective AOBP implementation and primary care clinics.
An instructional video, "Improving the Accuracy of Blood Pressure Measurement" is available on Youtube.
DGIM has developed resources to help with staff training and would be happy to share upon request. Please contact Dr. Doane (john.doane@hsc.utah.edu).