A curriculum for the training and certification of blood pressure measurement for health care providers.

Blood pressure measurement in clinical practice is almost never performed according to accepted guidelines. This is likely to be a result of inadequate training. We describe a standardized training program for teaching blood pressure measurement to health care students, practitioners and clinical investigators as well as lay personnel. The goal is to have the student understand the rationale and be able to perform accurate blood pressure measurements. Students must master the knowledge of proper blood pressure measurement technique, document their accuracy on standardized video tests and demonstrate their performance of proper technique. In addition the program reviews key historical and physiological aspects of blood pressure measurement and the cardiovascular complications of high blood pressure. The operation and maintenance of sphygmomanometers and the stethoscope, and monitoring for biases in blood pressure measurements in clinical practice, are also covered. The curriculum time requires a minimum of 7 h and biannual recertification is recommended. With training of instructors, the program can be easily replicated and should be considered in any setting in which blood pressure measurement is taught.