Blood Pressure Monitoring Variation in Routine Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic Visits: A Cross-Sectional study
Blood Pressure Monitoring Variation in Routine Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic Visits: A Cross-Sectional study
Abstract
Background: In the time of COVID-19, various strategies are initiated by the Ministry of Health to ensure that accessibility to the way blood pressure is measured can result in inaccurate readings with huge clinical implications for management. Although several studies exist that report blood pressure variations due to measurement errors, data is lacking from sub-Saharan Africa on the proportion of inaccurate blood pressure readings. The main aim of this study was to explore the blood pressure measurement variations between routine blood pressure measurement and measurement that follows standard guidelines. Methods and Materials: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study at Livingstone University Teaching, in Zambia and enrolled 226 persons living with HIV. Routine blood pressure measurements were repeated using standard guidelines. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and determine blood pressure differences between routine and standard measurements. Results: The median age (interquartile range) in the study was 44 (35-52) years with 149 female participants representing a female preponderance of 65.9%. Systolic and Diastolic BP were significantly different between routine and standard measurements (p<0.0001). About 23 (10%) and 59 (26%) of the participants had systolic and diastolic BP exceeding 20 mmHg and 10 mmHg, respectively. Systolic and Diastolic differences between routine and standard measurements ranged from -37 to 55 and -26 to 40, respectively. Conclusion: Our study confirms the presence of BP inaccuracy in clinical settings from a sub-Saharan African country. Knowledge and training that limits BP monitoring errors are required for health personnel attending to vulnerable groups such as PLHV where the burden of hypertension is higher than the general population. Our study highlights the need for better integration of hypertension care to HIV in clinical settings.All authors who submit their paper for publication will abide by following provisions of the copyright transfer: 1. The copyright of the paper rests with the authors. And they are transferring the copyright to publish the article and used the article for indexing and storing for public use with due reference to published matter in the name of concerned authors. 2. The authors reserve all proprietary rights such as patent rights and the right to use all or part of the article in future works of their own such as lectures, press releases, and reviews of textbooks. 3. In the case of republication of the whole, part, or parts thereof, in periodicals or reprint publications by a third party, written permission must be obtained from the Managing Editor of JPRM. 4. The authors declare that the material being presented by them in this paper is their original work, and does not contain or include material taken from other copyrighted sources. Wherever such material has been included, it has been clearly indented or/and identified by quotation marks and due and proper acknowledgements given by citing the source at appropriate places. 5. The paper, the final version of which they submit, is not substantially the same as any that they had already published elsewhere. 6. They declare that they have not sent the paper or any paper substantially the same as the submitted one, for publication anywhere else. 7. Furthermore, the author may only post his/her version provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication in this journal and a link is inserted wherever published. 8. All contents, Parts, written matters, publications are under copyright act taken by JPRM. 9. Published articles will be available for use by scholars and researchers. 10. IJPRM is not responsible in any type of claim on publication in our Journal. .