Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Observer bias in blood pressure studies.

N G Bruce¹, A G Shaper, M Walker

¹Department of Clinical Epidemiology and General Practice, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, UK.

Journal of Hypertension

|May 1, 1988

Summary

Observer variation in blood pressure measurements increases over time despite training. Regular retraining or using automatic devices are recommended to improve accuracy in clinical trials and patient care.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Investigating the importance of the local food environment for fruit and vegetable intake in older men and women in 20 UK towns: a cross-sectional analysis of two national cohorts using novel methods.

The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity·2017

Same author

Mild hyponatremia, hypernatremia and incident cardiovascular disease and mortality in older men: A population-based cohort study.

Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD·2015

Same author

Serum-cholesterol, diet, and coronary heart-disease in Africans and Asians in Uganda: 1959.

International journal of epidemiology·2012

Same author

Commentary: personal reflection on 'serum-cholesterol, diet and coronary heart-disease in Africans and Asians in Uganda'.

International journal of epidemiology·2012

Same author

Alcohol consumption decreases with the development of disease.

Addiction (Abingdon, England)·2011

Same author

Circulating inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers are associated with risk of myocardial infarction and coronary death, but not angina pectoris, in older men.

Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH·2009

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Health
Medical Measurement Accuracy
Clinical Epidemiology

Background:

Observer variation in blood pressure measurement is a known issue.
Standard training techniques may not sustain measurement consistency over time.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the extent and time course of observer variation in blood pressure measurement.
To evaluate methods for reducing observer variation in blood pressure readings.

Main Methods:

A study involving 7735 middle-aged men assessed observer variation in blood pressure measurement.
Data were collected over time following initial training and subsequent retraining.
Four potential methods for reducing observer variation were considered.

Main Results:

Initial training yielded consistent observer results, but variation progressively worsened over months.
Retraining temporarily reduced variation, but observers reverted to individual biases within 1-2 months.
The observed magnitude of observer variation has significant implications for clinical research and patient care.

Conclusions:

Observer variation in blood pressure measurement is a persistent challenge.
Regular retraining with performance monitoring and the use of automatic sphygmomanometers are the most practical solutions.
Addressing observer variation is crucial for reliable group comparisons and individual patient management.

Related Experiment Videos