manual BP's?

[Lola77]

Do you find manual BP's to be more accurate? I work on a floor where in the AM the nurses are responsible for getting 0800 vitals and we have 40+ patients and 1 or maybe 2 dinamaps that actually work. As you can imagine, we all fight for them and sometimes I can't get vitals until 0900 and the doctors are always ******. I am thinking about just bringing in a cuff and taking my BPs manually. Do you think there will be any issues with this?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Check with your facility first.

Generally using your own cuff from home would not be allowed.

If it is not being calibrated by the facility, how can they know or verify that it is accurate?

I would still get my own if they would not buy some and run it buy Biomed........I always have my own Sphygmomanometer :-) As a supervisor....nothing annoys me more that being called for a patient in trouble and no one knows what the BP is because the machine isn't working......same reason I carry my own pocket pulse ox..lol

[mamamerlee, LPN]

Years ago I bought an automatic wrist cuff - it has proven to be pretty accurate when used correctly. But it still takes longer than a manual BP.

That said, my big issue these days is - TAH DAH - infection control, especially in LTCs where MRSA is sometimes rampant. Do you want your personal equipment to be the harbor for such stuff?

And who is calibrating the Dinamaps in most facilities? I understand the need for calibration, but let's get real - I'll bet most of them only get tested when they get broken.

Yes, the standard, the best, were the old MERCURY sphygs, and I don't see them making a comeback any time soon!! Coming in at a close second are the aneroid types we all hold near and dear.

[nurturing_angel]

I too prefer using the manual BP cuffs. Don't like dragging that crazy dynamap around with me.

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

I always use manual BP cuffs---no dynamaps in my facility at all. I trust my ears much more anyhow. The only vitals our techs do for us are temps, which is ok with me because if I'm giving a BP med, I want to be the one taking the BP.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

That said, my big issue these days is - TAH DAH - infection control, especially in LTCs where MRSA is sometimes rampant. Do you want your personal equipment to be the harbor for such stuff?

So you only want to use yours on healthy people?

[RNKPCE]

I agree from an infection control perspective the manual cuff above their bed is much cleaner. It gets cleaned when the patient is discharged from the room but the dynamaps do not get cleaned between each patient unless they are in isolation.

I also agree that manual BP more accurate especially when patient has an irregular heart rhythm.

[CrazierThanYou]

The old "nurse on a stick" is famous for inaccuracy...

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

The old "nurse on a stick" is famous for inaccuracy...

I can totally picture that stupid thing rolling up and down the hall answering call lights lol.. and then hearing a little old lady say "get the hell out of here.. you are useless!"

[Lola77]

lol I also carry my own pulse ox. In fact, I figure soon I will have a pulse ox, BP cuff, thermometer, perhaps some suction and oxygen. . .all in a gigantic backpack! I can also never find bedside commodes or accucheck machines that work so I will also strap those onto myself. One big walking, talking supply cabinet.

[CrazierThanYou]

I can totally picture that stupid thing rolling up and down the hall answering call lights lol.. and then hearing a little old lady say "get the hell out of here.. you are useless!"

How funny! I was at the doctor and my blood pressure reading was out of this world. Everyone was freaking and the doctor was like "Hold on now, the nurse on a stick often doesn't know what she's talking about".

[Do-over, ASN, RN]

I have actually found our "robo-nurses" to be pretty accurate anytime I have manually re-checked a blood pressure or pulse.

[johnnysmack7]

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