Blood pressure checks in thai hospitals = waste of time

[Maestro]

In my experience, a weight and blood pressure check is the first thing they do when I go to the out-patient department of a Thai hospital. The last time was when I went to Saint Louis hospital in Bangkok to have compacted ear wax removed. I didn't mind and I did not get charged separately for these checks.

I consider these checks to be part of "due diligence" on the part of the hospital.

[BKKdreaming]

what is the best "at home" devise to take your blood pressure ?

is the old hand pump up type the best ?

is there a proper way to use it on other people and on yourself ?

and are any of the "wristwatch" looking things like "Fit" good for regular people ?

and are there any devises with a Warning Buzzer type devise to use an people that already have high blood pressure ?

thanks

[balo]

Don't be too confident about any of the medical here due to incompetence and corruption. Not all but its a business here and a big business in the private hospitals.

They do it to earn extra money , simple as that .

I always say no to the blood pressure checks , I went to see a dermatologist and that silly nurse wanted me to check the blood pressure. It saved me 300 baht .

Edited May 4, 2016 by balo

[colinneil]

When i get my BP checks at hospital, it is usually the most beautiful nurse.

So my blood pressure readings are high.

[meatboy]

what is the best "at home" devise to take your blood pressure ?

is the old hand pump up type the best ?

is there a proper way to use it on other people and on yourself ?

and are any of the "wristwatch" looking things like "Fit" good for regular people ?

and are there any devises with a Warning Buzzer type devise to use an people that already have high blood pressure ?

thanks

i had a VISOMAT 300 bought for me over 16yrs.ago and it is very acurate.

but the no.of visits to the hospital where they use a sleeve where you place your arm inside,that is the worst i have ever experianced.it has never once gave anywhere near an acurate reading.the same again last week but the nurses who took mine manually at least 10times every 24hrs.were always correct.

[BKKdreaming]

is it better to check on arm or wrist ?

the Visomat shows it on your wrist ?

[gerryBScot]

I use a Boots device which has a large sleeve presumably as it was originally designed for the British market. It comes with an easy to understand manual. It measures with a cuff that fits on the upper arm and even has a nice little downward pointing arrow which you should align with your middle finger. The idea of the upper arm measure is that it is taken at the same height as your heart. If you want to get a sense of whether your device is accurate bring it with you when you go to hospital/clinic.

I think the sphygmomanometer remains the most accurate measure but it's a bit fiddle-arse and technical for DIY.

[saakura]

I'm really confused. Thai hospitals are great, I get far better care vs UK hospitals. And the nurses are good too.

So why: every single time I go, are they SO BAD at taking blood pressure?

Ttoday:

Immediately after I sit down to wait for the doctor, a nurse wants to take my blood pressure. Never mind I just walked 15 minutes from the BTS and didnt have a 'resting' pulse rate.

So we take the test, and no suprise my SYS high. And my DIA... was 140! So I'm either having a stroke, am already dead, or they seriously ffed up the BP reading. On top of not waiting for my pulse to normalize.

The nurse looks at these insane readings - higher than heart attack levels - 'oh little bit high sir', and sends me back. She should be rushing me to ER, does she not understand or does she know the test results are garbage?

So the test was a complete failure in every possible way. And it's the same every time: bangkok hospital, phayathai 2, paolo memorial. Sometimes if the reading is high, they immediately do the test again, giving an even more useless reading.

I dont know, why do they do this test to every patient every time you visit, for any reason? It's a total waste on every level. It's a strange weakness.

And did you tell the nurse that you just walked 15 minutes and climbed up the stairs? Most thais may be driving a car and then taking the lift or escalator.

[xylophone]

I've had many similar experiences and I agree that in general the BP taking fiasco when you arrive at the waiting room is a joke.

I rarely take the lift so always walk up flights of stairs and I tell that to the nurse and ask her to wait for 10 min or so before taking the test, but some just don't listen. The other thing is that I wonder how often these machines are tested for their accuracy?

On a couple of occasions when I have briskly walked up the stairs to the waiting room and the nurse has taken my BP and noted that it is 147/100 (for example) and just mentions that my BP seems high, yet nothing is done about it and never has been. I tell her that normally I'm about 125/80 but again that makes no difference.

One time I had my blood pressure taken and it was high and for no reason, so I suggested to the nurse that the machine could be inaccurate and she just smiled, so I motioned her to come to the medical department next door where they took my blood pressure using another machine and it was "normal" so within 1 min my BP had dropped from very high to normal – – go figure; just a waste of time and effort and although these occasional high readings have been noted on the chart, neither the nurse or doctor has done anything about them.

A couple of years ago I bought my own BP machine from Boots and it is called "Microlife" and just occasionally I take my blood pressure, although it has never really been a problem, but I thought it worth spending about 1500 baht for a little peace of mind.

[bkk6060]

If it bothers you, tell them you don't want it.

[alocacoc]

I guess that's new. I went today to a dentist at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. When my name got called to do a blood pressure test, I said, I only want to see the doctor. Then I got informed that it is obligatory. If  the patient refuse it, the doctor might refuse to treat the patient. Well, so i finally agreed. Blood pressure is fine (although I was quite nervous about the upcoming treat)  and my teeth are now fine as well.

[lopburi3]

Just as they will not perform an elective operation if you have excessive blood pressure (over 160 I believe) a dentist would also be concerned as such treatment often causes bleeding (and they are often not equipped to provide hospital type emergency services/transfusions).   They make money doing the treatment so it can only be seen as a safeguard for us; in my view.  In the USA you could make the argument it is to safeguard the dentist from the lawyers; but that is not a factor here.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I hate it. The hospital I go to I told them never to take my blood pressure again. The nurses didn't listen, so I involved my doctor who took the blood pressure himself a few times and put a note in my file for the nurses not to bother me with this useless exercise. 

[al007]

I know when I get to my local hospital after driving about 24 kms my blood pressure is going to be up probably 180, I smile I tell the nurse it will be around 180 then I relax , i ask her to wait for 15 mins I relax and breath  I go back normally back to around 135 to 140

 

I check on my home machine most days and it is not so much what it reads as how much it has altered from the previous one, at home if the result is way out and sometimes it is I redo it 15 mins later

 

It also stories the last 30 days showing the trend, which is important to me anyway

 

Ps Thai hospitals are not so bad, if you want an alternative read my thread on india!!

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I really find this stupid and dumb. Sorry, but it's just an idiotic practice. I imagine a lot of people suffer from white coat syndrome and for us who didn't grow up here and don't tolerate the heat very well of course the blood pressure is going to be high. Now, imagine every time you come to a hospital they take it and they put these readings in the file. There. instant diagnosis for you from another lazy doctor... btw take these useless meds. Ridiculous, unnecessary and it's really p me off. There goes my blood pressure.

[alocacoc]

Another somehow strange thing i recognized. I had to got on regularly basis to the Bangkok Hospital (Hearth Center) to treat me, which is luckily done. However, the blood pressure was always to high and the doctor wanted to sell me medicine to lower the pressure. Instead of take the medicine, I started to visit several time a week different pharmacies / small clinics which checked my pressure. Some of them do it for free, others ask for 20-50 Baht. Guess what, I had always good values. I wonder why.  And yesterday my pressure  in the hospital (dental clinic) was good, even I was very nervous about the dental threat.

 

A Doctor in the Bangkok Hospital told me, he don't trust these digital machines. He use a manual, locking retro device.

 

He use a device such this; http://www.medikbedarf.de/WebRoot/Store15/Shops/61639899/4830/1B24/BBC9/E69C/5B41/C0A8/28B9/287A/boso_Mercurius_E.jpg

Edited October 3, 2016 by alocacoc

[lopburi3]

Almost all doctors will use the mercury gauge themselves regardless of nurse meter readings.  But if your pressure is high it will be high using that also.  I am also high on table of Heart Hospital but over time expect it will lower (as it had done at previous facility).

 

Always good to visit doctor with a home record of blood pressure readings - or if you do not have meter record date/time/readings from where you get checked - as this will prevent a lot of false medication.  Doctor should not act on one reading but when that is all they have and can not expect you to return they may do so.   

[Lumbini]

BIDC ( a dental hospital ) checking blood pressure downstairs like they do is almost laughable and says much . I will give more details later to be sure [emoji20]

[brewsterbudgen]

They do it to earn extra money , simple as that .
I always say no to the blood pressure checks , I went to see a dermatologist and that silly nurse wanted me to check the blood pressure. It saved me 300 baht .

If you'd bothered to read the whole thread and Sheryl's comments in particular, you'd see that you are wrong.

[chakatee]

On 5/3/2016 at 11:08 PM, Familyonthemove said:

The blood pressure check serves no purpose other than to bump up the cost of whatever it was you came for. Even a simple vaccination is preceeded by a blood pressure test. It's like having ypur windscreen cleaned when you buy fuel.

Sheryl already explained twice in this thread that no cost is being bumped up by this.

And any healthcare that doesn't check your blood pressure before a vaccination simply is negligent.

[balo]

6 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

If you'd bothered to read the whole thread and Sheryl's comments in particular, you'd see that you are wrong.

 

I am not wrong . Of course it depends on which hospital you go to . I had an appointment with a dermatologist so just wanted to see the doctor at Bangkok Pattaya hospital . Still they wanted me to check the blood pressure. It's just in their routine , every 'customer' will be asked , it doesnt matter the purpose of their visit. Just silly and would never happen in the US or Europe.  

Edited October 4, 2016 by balo

[Rimmer]

A sarcastic flame has been removed

[brewsterbudgen]

 
I am not wrong . Of course it depends on which hospital you go to . I had an appointment with a dermatologist so just wanted to see the doctor at Bangkok Pattaya hospital . Still they wanted me to check the blood pressure. It's just in their routine , every 'customer' will be asked , it doesnt matter the purpose of their visit. Just silly and would never happen in the US or Europe.  

But as Sheryl has explained the 300 baht charge is not for the blood pressure test.

[xylophone]

10 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

But as Sheryl has explained the 300 baht charge is not for the blood pressure test.

 

 

I visited my dermatologist and let the nurse take my blood pressure and I didn't really care what the reading was because they are invariably wrong and also taken at the wrong time.

 

Anyway, saw the specialist for just a matter of minutes whilst he looked at a lesion he had previously burnt off but which was slow to heal, and he basically said to give it a little more time and to apply some mupirocin to it.

 

That was it, a few minutes, no medication, no nothing............... yet the bill read 800 baht for the specialist visit and 150 baht for medical service (or something like that) and I can only assume that it was for the BP test?

 

And since I have stopped letting my BP be taken, I have never seen that charge since!

[new2here]

This is how it is for me too. I suspect that it's just one thing on the "must do" list when you show up and want to see someone - no matter what that may be for.

I also think there's a procedural issue as well in that I suspect that they can't get you into queue until your vitals have been taken/recorded. So, the sooner they get your BP (and whatever else) the sooner you get a place in queue.

I've watched before and notice that my file (a plastic folder like thing) doesn't go to the OPD nurses desk (where Doctor assignments are made and patients are called) until that "visit record" is completed at the intake desk first.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Dagnabbit]

On 10/2/2016 at 9:53 PM, al007 said:

I know when I get to my local hospital after driving about 24 kms my blood pressure is going to be up probably 180, I smile I tell the nurse it will be around 180 then I relax , i ask her to wait for 15 mins I relax and breath  I go back normally back to around 135 to 140

 

I check on my home machine most days and it is not so much what it reads as how much it has altered from the previous one, at home if the result is way out and sometimes it is I redo it 15 mins later

 

It also stories the last 30 days showing the trend, which is important to me anyway

 

Ps Thai hospitals are not so bad, if you want an alternative read my thread on india!!

 

If your BP is spiking so high just driving a car, it might be time to lose some weight/get some exercise.

 

It seems a lot of people here are in denial about their BP. 

[partington]

1 hour ago, Dagnabbit said:

 

If your BP is spiking so high just driving a car, it might be time to lose some weight/get some exercise.

 

It seems a lot of people here are in denial about their BP. 

 

 

This is incorrect.  It is completely normal  for blood pressure to spike to high values during stressful or alarming situations, and indeed is a necessary physiological function to prepare your body for the "flight or fight" response.  

 

What is unusual and harmful is for high blood pressure values to be sustained for long periods, untriggered by stress, fear, anger or exertion, and this is what causes the end organ damage that is the real danger from hypertension.

 

The difference between normal stress responses and abnormally sustained hypertension should be assessed by a physician on the basis of more than one blood pressure measurement on more than one occasion!

[xylophone]

4 hours ago, Dagnabbit said:

 

If your BP is spiking so high just driving a car, it might be time to lose some weight/get some exercise.

 

It seems a lot of people here are in denial about their BP. 

 

I agree with Partington in the previous post and anyway as has already been mentioned the taking of one's blood pressure before seeing the specialist is mostly a joke.

 

One should have been resting for about five minutes before the test is undertaken and during the test, one should breathe normally and not talk – – however none of this is taken into account in my many experiences here.

 

After negotiating the obstacle course for about 35 minutes, set by the other crazy drivers on the road, bad roads, people shooting through red lights etc and then driving several times around the car park to try and find a parking space, which may or may not be found, then walking briskly to the hospital and more often than not taking the stairs, I arrive at the doctors surgery in time for my appointment.

 

In a matter of a few minutes the nurse will want to take my blood pressure and I explain that I have just walked some distance as well as up the stairs and she sometimes listens and sometimes doesn't (one of the reasons I don't let them take it now). She then proceeds to take my blood pressure using the machine, all the while asking the other questions on her checklist, so that I'm not relaxed and not following the normal protocols.

 

It's a waste of time, space and possibly money, which is why I don't do it anymore. And anyway, taking my blood pressure at home following all of the recommended procedures, my average BP would be125/130 over 80/85, with a resting pulse rate of around 52 to 55.

[Sheryl]

 
 
This is incorrect.  It is completely normal  for blood pressure to spike to high values during stressful or alarming situations, and indeed is a necessary physiological function to prepare your body for the "flight or fight" response.  
 
What is unusual and harmful is for high blood pressure values to be sustained for long periods, untriggered by stress, fear, anger or exertion, and this is what causes the end organ damage that is the real danger from hypertension.
 
The difference between normal stress responses and abnormally sustained hypertension should be assessed by a physician on the basis of more than one blood pressure measurement on more than one occasion!

As above. The volatility of systolic BP in response to transient stressors is especially evident when one observes people with continuous arterial monitoring, e.g. in ICUs. Everytime they cough or sneeze it surges up, even as high as 200+ and then drops back again. Whenever in pain or upset, again a big spike. This is all perfectly normal.

Damage to the cardiovqscular system cones from sustained elevations not these momentary blips.

[Dagnabbit]

On 10/4/2016 at 4:54 AM, xylophone said:

 

I visited my dermatologist and let the nurse take my blood pressure and I didn't really care what the reading was because they are invariably wrong and also taken at the wrong time.

 

Anyway, saw the specialist for just a matter of minutes whilst he looked at a lesion he had previously burnt off but which was slow to heal, and he basically said to give it a little more time and to apply some mupirocin to it.

 

That was it, a few minutes, no medication, no nothing............... yet the bill read 800 baht for the specialist visit and 150 baht for medical service (or something like that) and I can only assume that it was for the BP test?

 

And since I have stopped letting my BP be taken, I have never seen that charge since!

 

Of course BP varies.

 

But at 180 after driving to the hospital or a walk up some stairs? 

 

Mines not that high after a 5km run.