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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2008;299(24):2842-2844.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

New Orleans—Most physicians and their staffs do a poor job of measuring patient blood pressure, said hypertension experts at the scientific meeting of the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) held here in May.

Attendees heard researchers and viewed scientific posters detailing the common errors that occur when measuring blood pressure. "Blood pressure reading does not seem to be done correctly in any medical clinic," said Clarence E. Grim, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, who presented new findings at the meeting. "And yet, the single most important thing physicians do in their medical life is take an accurate blood pressure measurement."

Researchers say few physicians and their staffs take proper blood pressure readings, putting patients at risk of undertreatment or overtreatment of hypertension. Steps such as seating patients with their feet flat on the floor and allowing them to . . . [Full Text of this Article]