Sphygmomanometers--an audit in general practice.
BACKGROUND
The accuracy of sphygmomanometers used in Australian general practice is unknown but potentially important.


METHODS
We measured the accuracy of sphygmomanometers in general practice in the Hunter region of New South Wales using a gold standard. Practices were recruited by an advertisement in the division newsletter.


RESULTS
Sixty practices (35%) volunteered. A total of 404 instruments were checked. Over 95% of sphygmomanometers were within 4 mmHg of gold standard sphygmomanometer across the clinical pressure range. Mercury sphygmomanometers were more accurate than aneroid (p<0.01). There was no significant association between accuracy and age, calibration, or visual inspection of the instruments.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated a high accuracy rate of the sphygmomanometers checked, especially those sphygmomanometers that were mercury.
Shah
Nayankumar C
NC
Discipline of General Practice, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales. nayankumar.shah@newcastle.edu.au
Sibbritt
David W
DW
Heaney
Susan
S
Sharples
Jan
J
D004868:Equipment Failure; D005194:Family Practice / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019722:Sphygmomanometers