| CHEP Recommendation | Always/Most Times | Sometimes | Rarely/Never | Important | Ratio (Importance to Adherence) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Patient should be seated comfortably, back supported, feet flat, and legs not crossed. | 50 (93) | 3 (6) | 1 (2) | 35 (65) | 70 |
| B | Patient should be resting comfortably for 5 min in a seated position before measuring BP. | 42 (78) | 9 (17) | 3 (6) | 31 (57) | 74 |
| C | The patient's arm should be bare and supported at heart level. | 44 (82) | 8 (15) | 2 (4) | 21 (39) | 48 |
| D | A cuff appropriate to the size of the patient's arm should always be used. | 54 (100) | 0 | 0 | 32 (59) | 59 |
| E | There should be no talking and legs should not be crossed. | 47 (87) | 5 (10) | 2 (4) | 21 (38) | 45 |
| F | At least 3 measurements should be taken, no oftener than 1 min apart. | 20 (37) | 17 (32) | 16 (30) | 14 (26) | 70 |
| G | BP should also be measured with the patient standing for 2 minutes, with arm supported. | 3 (6) | 9 (17) | 40 (74) | 1 (2) | 33 |
| H | Reading should be taken at least once on both arms. If one arm gives a considerably higher reading, that arm should be used for future measurements. | 16 (30) | 14 (26) | 23 (43) | 6 (11) | 38 |
| I | Pressure should be rapidly increased to 30 mm above the point at which the radial pulse disappears. | 39 (72) | 8 (15) | 7 (13) | 9 (17) | 23 |
| J | Cuff deflation rate should be 2 mmHg per heart beat. | 36 (71) | 9 (18) | 6 (12) | 5 (9) | 16 |
| K | In the case of arrhythmia, additional readings should be taken. | 44 (82) | 8 (15) | 2 (4) | 10 (19) | 5 |
Values provided as n (%).
BP, blood pressure; CHEP, Canadian Hypertension Education Program.