1. Accuracy of Sphygmanometers at Pharmacies
- Author
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Feride Demiray, Aysel Sari, Tekin Akpolat, Melda Dilek, Nevzat Selim, Dilek Erdem, Emre Erdem, Türkan Aydogdu, and Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi
- Subjects
Pharmacies ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Blood Pressure ,Blood Pressure Determination ,Pharmacy ,Sphygmomanometer ,General Medicine ,Sphygmomanometers ,medicine.disease ,Automation ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Nephrology ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Hypertension ,Blood pressure ,Sphygmomanometer, pharmacies ,Medicine ,Pharmacy sphygmanometers, accuracy ,Medical emergency ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Intensive care medicine - Abstract
Background/Aims: The aims of this study are to assess the reasons of using sphygmomanometers at pharmacies and to evaluate their accuracy. Methods: 135 devices (118 aneroid, 1 mercury, and 16 automated) from 125 pharmacies (located in Samsun city center) were included in the study. A non-randomized, cross-sectional design was used for the study protocol which had two parts: assessment of devices and a questionnaire about the pharmacy and present sphygmomanometer(s). Results: 40 (30%) of the 135 sphygmomanometers were inaccurate. 65 (48%) of the devices were older than 1 year and there was no correlation between the duration of the ownership of the sphygmomanometers and their inaccuracy (p > 0.05). Blood pressure measurement is a frequent practice at pharmacies. The aneroid type of sphygmomanometers was common. A limited number of devices were checked for accuracy before. The number of validated devices was low. Conclusion: Training programs for pharmacists including the accuracy of sphygmomanometers and regular checks of sphygmomanometers for accuracy will be beneficial to the community and to the subjects requesting measurement of blood pressure at the pharmacies.
- Published
- 2009