TABLE 1.
MEDLINE and CINAHL EBSCOHost search terms for the preliminary list of potential sources of error (limited by Humans and English language)
| Potential source of inaccuracy | Search terms | Number of results |
| Acute ingestion of food | blood pressure AND (food OR meal OR ingest* OR eat) AND acute effect* NOT (alcohol OR caffein* OR nicotine) | 143 |
| Acute alcohol use | blood pressure AND alcohol AND acute NOT withdraw* | 274 |
| Acute caffeine use | blood pressure AND (caffeine OR coffee OR ‘energy drink*’) AND acute | 139 |
| Acute nicotine use | blood pressure AND (nicotine OR smok* OR cigarette*) AND acute effect* | 215 |
| Bladder distension | ‘blood pressure’ AND ‘bladder distension’ | 23 |
| Cold exposure | blood pressure AND cold expos* | 238 |
| Paretic arm | blood pressure AND (paretic OR paralysed arm OR paralyzed arm) | 9 |
| White-coat effect | blood pressure AND (white coat effect OR white-coat effect) | 294 |
| Indirect measurement | aneroid AND mercury AND blood pressure | 48 |
| General device inaccuracy | sphygmomanometer* AND agreement | 101 |
| Aneroid device inaccuracy | aneroid AND mercury AND blood pressure | 48 |
| Automated device inaccuracy | auto* AND manual AND blood pressure | 231 |
| Pseudohypertension | pseudohypertension OR pseudo-hypertension | 76 |
| Rest period duration | (blood pressure measurement OR measuring blood pressure) AND before AND (wait* or rest*) | 88 |
| Body position | blood pressure AND (body position*) | 224 |
| Leg position | blood pressure AND (leg cross* OR leg position*) | 84 |
| Unsupported back | blood pressure AND (back support* OR supported back OR unsupported back OR back unsupported) | 13 |
| Unsupported arm | blood pressure AND (arm support* OR supported arm OR unsupported arm OR arm unsupported) | 37 |
| Arm position | blood pressure AND arm position* | 117 |
| Cuff size | blood pressure AND (cuff* size* OR bladder* size*) | 221 |
| Cuff tightness | blood pressure AND (loose* OR tight*) AND cuff | 13 |
| Clothing effect | blood pressure AND (clothes OR clothing) | 167 |
| Stethoscope placement | blood pressure AND stethoscope AND (placement OR location) | 4 |
| Talking during measurement | blood pressure measur* AND (talk OR talks OR talking) | 28 |
| Stethoscope head | blood pressure AND diaphragm AND bell | 7 |
| Deflation rate | blood pressure AND deflat* rate | 24 |
| Interval between repeated measurements | (‘blood pressure measurement’ OR ‘blood pressure measurements’ OR ‘blood pressure readings’) AND interval AND time | 142 |
| Number of measurements | blood pressure AND number of measurements | 65 |
| Interarm difference | blood pressure AND (arm difference OR inter-arm difference OR interarm difference) | 134 |
| Auscultatory gap | auscultatory gap | 8 |
| General observer inaccuracy | blood pressure AND (observer error* OR observer factors) | 40 |
| Korotkoff sound interpretation | (korotkoff OR korotkov) AND (sound* OR phase*) | 255 |
| Terminal digit bias | blood pressure AND (terminal digit OR end digit OR final digit OR last digit OR terminal-digit OR end-digit OR final-digit OR last-digit) | 50 |