Medical guidelines recommend healthcare professionals receive consistent retraining on blood pressure measurement and guidelines, yet many do not receive such training, according to a report from the American Medical Association and American Heart Association.
For the report, researchers from Decision Analyst surveyed 2,302 certified medical assistants, nurses, physician assistants, primary care physicians and pharmacists via an online poll from August 12-30. They also conducted in-depth interviews with 32 healthcare professionals between June 10-24.
Half of physicians and PAs said they were never retrained on blood pressure measurement after their initial medical training. A third of nurses and a quarter of medical assistants reported the same trend.
Half of medical assistants and three-fourths of nurses, PAs, physicians and pharmacists said blood pressure refresher trainings are not required at their organizations but should be.
About 60 percent of primary care physicians and pharmacists said every medical professional should receive a refresher training. High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for strokes, heart attack and preventable deaths. Inaccurate readings could contribute to diagnosis errors regarding these conditions, according to Patrice Harris, MD, president of AMA.
To view the full report, click here.
Editor's note: This article was updated Nov. 20 at 9:40 a.m.
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