Journal of Human Hypertension https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-018-0032-7 ARTICLE Do physicians measure patients’ blood pressure, and are those measurements reliable? Şükrü Ulusoy 1 ● Gülsüm Özkan 2 ● Beyhan Güvercin 3 ● Yeliz Sökmen 4 ● Yunus Erdem 5 Received: 7 July 2017 / Revised: 29 November 2017 / Accepted: 5 January 2018 © Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract To determine how and how often blood pressure (BP) measurement is performed in health institutions. The researchers observed whether or not 84 physicians performed BP measurement. Immediately after BP measurement by the physician, this was repeated by the researchers in a manner compatible with HT guidelines. The physicians’ and researchers’ BP measurement results were compared. Physicians measured BP in only 37% (427) of 1130 consecutive patient examinations. None of the physicians “BP measurements were fully compatible with the guidelines” BP measurement recommendations. Physicians who performed measurements determined the same SBP and DBP as the researchers in 34.3% of patients. Hypertension was determined in 18.9% of patients in clinics in which BP measurement was not performed by physicians. Not all physicians in our study measured BP, and the great majority of those who did failed to measure it reliably. We think that it is therefore vitally important for physicians across the world to receive regular, repeated, and effective training in the importance of BP measurement and how to perform it correctly. Introduction Hypertension (HT) is an important health problem with a high global prevalence involving high morbidity and mor- tality. The prevalence varies from country to country, but is ~30–45% in the general population, a figure that increases with age [1]. The prevalence of HT in Turkey is compatible with the world literature at ~30% [2]. Diagnosis, monitor- ing, and treatment of HT are all based on blood pressure (BP) measurement. How and where BP is measured and the equipment and method used are essential to accurate the determination of BP. Correct measurement and interpreta- tion represents the principal step in the diagnosis and treatment of HT. Whether or not BP is measured correctly is directly correlated with mortality, morbidity, and cost. Since this directly affects the diagnosis of HT, major studies over the years have investigated the reliability of methods of BP measurement (technique, device selection, type of location where performed etc.), and efforts have been made to achieve standardization on the subject. BP measurement for the diagnosis and treatment of HT is today performed with office, home, and ambulatory BP monitoring [1, 3–5]. Since the majority of large-scale clinical studies have for years been performed with office BP measurement, the guidelines on diagnosis of HT are also based on office BP measurement [1, 3, 5]. Office BP measurements are gen- erally performed using the auscultator method with mercury or aneroid BP-measuring devices. Mercury BP-measuring devices are not recommended due to the risk of mercury contamination, and aneroid devices are more commonly employed. However, it is very important for these to be recalibrated at appropriate intervals and for the practitioner to be trained in proper BP measurement [4]. Very few studies in the literature have investigated whether or not BP is measured correctly or not, and there have been no such studies in Turkey. * Şükrü Ulusoy sulusoy2002@yahoo.com 1 Department of Nephrology, Karadeniz Technical University, School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey 2 Department of Nephrology, Namık Kemal University, School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey 4 Department of Cardiology, Hatay Antakya State Hospital, Hatay, Turkey 5 Department of Nephrology, Hacettepe University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey 1234567890();,: