title: The effect of clothes on blood pressure measurement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of clothes on blood pressure measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  One group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. The study consisted of 162 undergraduate students studying nursing and physiotherapy at a university in Ankara, Turkey. Blood pressure was measured over the sleeve and below a rolled-up sleeve with a mercury-filled column sphygmomanometer. All blood pressure measurements were performed on the right arm during morning hours by the same nurse. Each participant's height, weight and clothing thickness were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the participants was 20.71. The median systolic blood pressure values were 110.07 mmHg over the sleeve and 110.37 mmHg below the rolled-up sleeve. There were no statistically significant differences between measurements taken over the sleeve and below a rolled-up sleeve (p=0.222). The median diastolic blood pressure values were 69.56 mmHg over the sleeve and 69.59 mmHg below the rolled-up sleeve. There were no statistically significant differences between measurements taken over the sleeve and below a rolled-up sleeve (p=0.572).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was found that clothes have no statistically significant effect on systolic/diastolic blood pressure measurements. Measuring blood pressure over a sleeve may save time.
authors.affiliation: Nurcan Ertug, RN PhD. Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nurcan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ertug
authors.affiliation: Tugba Cakal, BSN. Nurse, Turgut Ozal University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tugba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cakal
authors.affiliation: Şeyda Busra Ozturk, BSN. Nurse, Turgut Ozal University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Seyda Busra
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.affiliation: Muhammet Verim, BSN. Nurse, Turgut Ozal University Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verim
keywords: Blood pressure; Blood pressure measurement; Clothes; Health professionals; Sphygmomanometer