Midmark Corp. introduced in a press release the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) BP Protocol for its innovative IQvitals Zone vital signs device.
This systolic blood pressure (BP) measurement protocol, based on the SPRINT trial conducted in 2015, is designed to obtain more accurate and consistent BP readings through proper patient positioning and minimizing interruptions that could impact a patient’s BP measurements.
In recent years, BP capture has been debated and reevaluated in order to improve accuracy and reduce misdiagnoses. Approximately 46 percent of American adults now have high BP. The ACC/AHA Guidelines for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure established in 2017, which lowered the threshold for hypertension, added another 30 million adults to the hypertensive category. With these numbers continuing to rise, accurate BP measurement is crucial not only for patient care, but also for population health management.
Kurt Forsthoefel, marketing director, medical products and services, Midmark, said, “When the SPRINT BP Protocol was compared to routine BP measurements conducted in clinical settings, BP readings using the protocol were significantly lower than those readings from routinely performed measurement in a clinical setting. This outlines the importance of minimizing human variables that directly impact proper measurement, reducing hypertension misdiagnoses, reducing costs associated with obtaining multiple manual readings and ultimately, providing better patient care.”
The SPRINT BP Protocol features embedded positioning guidelines to help ensure proper patient preparation and easier adoption of patient positioning guidelines for more accurate and consistent BP measurements. The guidelines are displayed in a checklist format to help ensure accurate and repeatable BP capture every time. Three BP measurements can be automatically captured, with an average BP reading provided when complete. The protocol allows healthcare providers to leave the exam room during the measurement process. This reduces the chance of white coat hypertension, an experience that impacts an estimated 20 percent of the hypertensive population when patients exhibit a higher BP reading than normal in a clinical setting. Utilizing IQvitals Zone with the SPRINT BP Protocol, healthcare professionals can directly import the patient’s BP reading into their EMR, eliminating data transcription errors and saving time.
IQvitals Zone automatically and securely connects to caregiver tablets or laptops for vital signs acquisitions through the use of Bluetooth low energy technology. The device eliminates manual transcription errors by allowing data to be transferred directly to the EMR. In addition, the device captures blood oxygen level, pulse, and temperature, as well as weight when used with the Midmark 626 Barrier-Free examination chair. Midmark’s SPRINT-based BP protocol with proper patient positioning guidelines in its vital signs device feature will be implemented in all new IQvitals Zone devices sold, as well as currently installed devices upon request.
