Background : Quality assurance and maintenance in the blood pressure for Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES) were on the progress but with some caveats of insufficient standardization or documentation of the process. The p...
Background : Quality assurance and maintenance in the blood pressure for Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES) were on the progress but with some caveats of insufficient standardization or documentation of the process. The present project aimed to secure the quality of the blood pressure measurement by registered observers working in KNHANES and to secure the new applicant for future obserber for blood pressure.
Methods : One to one hands on training was available only for the trainee who passed auscultation test for Korotkoff sound testing according to the previously published criteria. The final criteria to pass the hands on training summed errors of systolic and diastolic blood pressure below 2 mmHg for 3 simultaneous measurements. Hands on training was performed in outpatient cardiology clinic in Hanyang Univeristy Hospital. After each blind measurement, feedback was done by the trainer for the errors observed. For continued standardization, multimedia files on the Korotkoff sound will be manufactured. And one day workshop program to recruit and test for the basic requirement to be the observer for blood pressure measurement.
Results : Total 8 observers were educated and tested for the auscultation for the Korotkoff sounds and to pass the predefined criteria. But in the hands on training, 5 observers passed the required criteria and 1 observer passed with additional training. Finally 2 observers were failed through the consultant meeting. Hands on training was performed for 136 patients and 4.3 visits per observer. The assessment using high density quality video monitoring on the survey field showed improved measurement quality compared to the previous year. 30 Korotkoff sounds were made and requests for the true reading to the 16 expert physician according to the reading compliant to the standard protocol of KNHANES. The true values were acquired by 14 experts and 28 values showed the same median and 50 percentile values. Through a one day workshop, the preliminary education and recruitment program was developed.
Conclusion : Through the present projects on the quality control of blood pressure measurement in KNHANES, the documentation of the quality assurance and maintanence of 1) assessment of Korotkoff sound reading 2) education of the blood pressure measurement 3) hands on training program made it possible to improve the score of video monitoring on the fields and to secure the basis of the quality control and the manual of the recruitment of new observer of blood pressure.