What can cause inaccurate blood pressure readings?

You might be surprised at how easy it is to influence the accuracy of such a seemingly simple tool as the blood pressure monitor. Several factors, such as talking (answering a nurse's question) or having a full bladder (because you thought you might be asked to give a urine sample), can temporarily change your blood pressure enough to result in false high or low blood pressure numbers.

Operator error -- even at the doctor's office -- is one of the leading causes of inaccurate measurements. Studies of healthcare professionals consistently show that doctors and nurses rarely follow recommended guidelines for accurate blood pressure monitoring. And measurements taken casually, without following standard procedures, produce unreliable results.

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