Nursing the Clinical Problem Is

Nursing The clinical problem is identified immediately in the article. Authors point out that measuring blood pressure is "one of the most commonly used techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of various health care problems," and because of that accurate blood pressure measurements are absolutely necessary (Foster-Fitzpatrick, Ortiz, Sibilano, Marcantonio & Brown, nd, p. 94). An inaccurate measurement could mean an incorrect diagnosis, which in turn might lead to patients being mistreated.

Blood pressure varies depending on a number of conditions and the authors postulate that leg positioning might be one of the most important factors in determining accuracy of blood pressure readings. Specifically the authors hypothesize that blood pressure readings will be more accurate when patients keep both feet on the floor. The research is particularly relevant for nursing practice, as blood pressure readings are a routine part of patient intake and ongoing care. A brief but thorough literature review follows the introduction to the research article.

Citing research that denies the relevance of leg positioning during blood pressure readings, the authors provide a balanced point-of-view regarding their hypothesis. The authors also defend their hypothesis by pointing out weaknesses in prior research that might have minimized the effect of leg positioning on blood pressure reading accuracy. Furthermore, the authors explain the reasoning for their hypothesis by citing research about the direct effect of leg crossing on blood pressure. Foster-Fitzpatrick et al.

(nd) admit that findings related to the relationship between leg crossing and blood pressure are "inconsistent," (p. 95). In the introduction to the research article, Foster-Fitzpatrick et al. (nd) state, "The current study was initiated to determine if blood pressure measurement is affected by the leg crossed at the knee as compared with feet flat on the floor," (p. 94). The researchers also explain how they measured blood pressure and which tools they used, which helps define their terms.

However, the exact method of crossing one leg over the knee is not clearly explained and no illustrations are provided. The participants may or may not have crossed their legs with an open groin, which may have a bearing on blood pressure readings. The research design mainly supports the research question. However, several flaws prevent the current study from being statistically appropriate. The subjects were all males and all were diagnosed with hypertension and were also taking antihypertensive medications (Foster-Fitzpatrick nd, p. 95).

The authors fail to mention which medications the participants were taking and how those medications might have impacted the validity of the research. Differences between medications might also have affected the results of the research. Gender and current hypertensive conditions may have been mitigating factors the researchers failed to control in the current research. Still, the research was preliminary and an ANOVA design was used to measure results as accurately as possible. Results could be extended to a similar population but not to the general public. Research on the effects.