Table 1. BP measurement requirements and conditions.

BP: blood pressure

Factors	Description
BP measurement place	Office of the physician or the nurse
Condition of place	A quiet room with a temperature between 36.5–37.5 oC
Patient status	Before BP recording: no cigarette smoking, no caffeine consumption, and no exercise (even walking) for 30 minutes; empty bladder; should remain seated and relaxed for at least 3–5 minutes
Machine	The machine must be validated, especially the oscillometric electronic machine, regularly. Validated accurate electronic devices for use in office and home, and ambulatory BP measurement devices for adults and pregnant women are available
Patient and the personnel	Patients and staff should not communicate before, during, and between measurements. The patient must be sitting, and the arm must be rested on a table at the level of the heart. The patient's back should be supported on a chair. The patient's feet must be in a flat position, and legs should be uncrossed
Cuff and balloon	Cuff and its balloon should be selected according to the individual’s arm circumference. A manual auscultatory inflatable balloon should cover 75–100% of the arm circumference. For the cuffs of electronic devices, see the instruction booklet that comes with the device
BP measurement protocol	Three records must be taken a minute apart during each visit, and a mean of the last two stable records is then calculated. If the first BP record is <130/85 mmHg, no more re-measurements are needed. If 2-3 office-based records show BP ≥140/90 mmHg, it indicates hypertension