Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood throughout your body, measured as two numbers representing the pressure when your heart beats (systolic) and when it rests between beats (diastolic). Blood pressure (BP) is a crucial indicator of cardiovascular health. Regular monitoring is essential for early detection and management of hypertension (high blood pressure).
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
This course aims to teach students how to accurately measure and record a patient’s blood pressure using both manual and automated methods. Accurate blood pressure readings are crucial in identifying potential health risks, guiding treatment plans, and monitoring patient progress.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, the student will be able;
- To demonstrate the proper technique for measuring blood pressure manually using a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope.
- Understand the significance of blood pressure readings and the classification of normal vs. abnormal levels.
- Recognize situations requiring immediate nursing notification
- Accurately record blood pressure readings and identify factors that can affect the results.
Instructions for taking the course
To complete the course successfully, you must go through all the lessons below. You MUST mark each lesson as complete by clicking the MARK COMPLETE BUTTON. If you do not click the mark complete button, you will not be allowed to proceed to the next lesson. Please notice that all lessons have a minimum set amount of time that you are expected to spend on each lesson. You will not be allowed to Mark the Lesson Complete until the timer resets to zero; that is, until the minimum time set for the course has passed. For example, if lesson A has an allocated minimum time of 10 minutes, you will have to wait 10 minutes before you can mark Lesson A complete. The Mark Complete button for lesson A will be grayed out and will not become active until 10 minutes are over. The Mark Complete button will initially be grayed out and is located at the left bottom of each lesson. The timer is located in the right side of the lesson as shown in this screenshot below.
WARNING: If you forget to click the Mark Complete button done, you will be prompted to go back to that lesson again and have to wait till the allocated timed minutes resets to zero again before the Mark Complete button becomes active. After all lessons are completed and they are Marked Completed, you will then be allowed to take the post-test. If you successfully pass the quiz, you will earn CEUs for this course and you can proceed to print out your certificate.
