Blood pressure is the lateral force that blood exerts on arterial walls. It is affected by the force of ventricular contractions, arterial wall elasticity, peripheral vascular resistance, blood volume, and viscosity. Measuring the blood pressure consists of systolic and diastolic pressure readings.
One of the many functions of the nurse is to assess and monitor the condition of the patient. The nurse is primarily tasked in obtaining the vital signs of a patient–which includes blood pressure reading. The procedure on how to obtain a reading is almost inbred in every nurse, but how does one obtain an accurate blood pressure? A video by the American Medical Association and The Johns Hopkins University lists seven simple tips on how to get an accurate blood pressure reading.
See more with our collection of videos in our Nursing Videos page.