Ottawa: As many as 20 percent of Canadians diagnosed with high blood pressure may not have the condition all because they have been misdiagnosed by doctors using outdated blood pressure monitors, said a study by researchers at the University of Montreal’s Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM).
The study found that more than half of the family doctors in Canada are still using manual devices to measure blood pressure instead of more precise automated machines.
For decades, doctors have used devices called sphygmomanometers and tensiometers to measure blood pressure. But automatic electronic blood pressure monitors, known as oscillometric devices, tend to be more accurate and easier to use.
Manual blood pressure measurement can be precise but only if it is done properly, which is rarely the case, Janusz Kaczorowski, a medical sociologist at CRCHUM, said in a statement to CTV News.
Researchers have long noted something called “white-coat syndrome,” which refers to temporarily high blood pressure from the stress of being in a doctor’s office and interacting with the physician.
To take blood pressure the right way, a 12- to 15-minute period is required to allow patients to relax, Kaczorowski said. But the average family doctor visit lasts only 10 minutes. Automated devices can get the best reading because they can account for “white-coat syndrome,” he added.
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