How to Help Patients Relax During Blood Pressure Checks

"White coat syndrome" and "white coat hypertension" are terms used to describe blood pressure results that are higher at a health-care provider's office than at home. Patients may feel stress or anxiety due to a number of reasons, including fear of what may happen during their appointment and nervousness about an upcoming procedure or the results of important tests. Health-care providers can take simple steps to decrease the anxiety or stress in patients so accurate blood pressure readings can be obtained.

Things You'll Need

• Music

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Instructions

• 1

  Greet your patient with a smile and speak in a friendly tone. This is a basic step, but health-care providers are often in a hurry and sometimes forget that a smile can go a long way toward relaxing a patient.

• 2

  Talk to the patient about general topics, if appropriate, such as the weather.

• 3

  Tell the patient you are going to take his blood pressure and explain the process to him.

• 4

  Sit at eye level with the patient when taking his blood pressure. Standing over a patient is intimidating and can increase the level of stress in an already stressed patient.

• 5

  Discuss what the patient can expect during the appointment and answer any questions he may have before taking his vital signs. Sometimes relieving the fear of the unknown can put a patient at ease.

• 6

  Discuss imaging techniques if the patient is visibly stressed or anxious by instructing the patient to visualize a calming place or situation.

• 7

  Teach the patient to relax his body by slowly and calmly breathing.

• 8

  Play soft, relaxing music in the area where blood pressure checks are performed, whether this is in the examination room or at a station outside the room.

• 9

  Take the blood pressure reading near the end of the visit, if possible--not at the beginning. The patient may feel more comfortable at the end of his visit.