{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.023321956769055744, 'fraction_numerical': 0.012514220705346985, 'mean_word_length': 5.259786476868327, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Reliability of blood pressure measurement for orthostatic hypotension: a hospital-based questionnaire surve.

SIR—Vloet et al. [1] demonstrate deficiencies in the skills and knowledge of nurses to measure orthostatic hypotension (OH) by sphygmomanometry. The authors conclude that blood pressure measurement procedures to diagnose orthostatic hypotension need more standardisation and implementation of guidelines in daily practice. We conducted a hospital-based questionnaire survey that tested basic knowledge of the method for measuring OH amongst nurses before and after a single training session and implementation of written guidelines [2]. The subjects of this study were 90 registered nurses working in the Department of Integrated Medicine in our district general hospital. A standardised set of questions was asked about details of the blood pressure measurement procedure when testing for OH. Once the questionnaire was completed the correct answers were provided followed by verbal explanation if required. Written guidelines for OH [3] were then distributed. Three months later the same questionnaire was distributed amongst our nurses. Outcome in the two groups was compared using the chi-squared test. Eleven per cent of nurses (10/90) answered the questions right on the first questionnaire and this proportion rose to 68.9% (62/90) on the second questionnaire (P-0.00001). OH is a common and usually remediable cause of falls. Accuracy of diagnosis of OH relies on knowledge amongst nurses of the method for measuring OH and its implementation. This process is significantly improved by a single training session and written guidelines. More studies are required to test whether such measures could improve the detection and treatment of OH.