Wagar published in Journal of Nursing Education and Practice

UW Ob-Gyn resident Matt Wagar, MD, PGY-4 is the lead author on a quality improvement study published in the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice!

Accurate maternal blood pressure measurements are important for diagnosing hypertension problems, making treatment plans, and more. “Obtaining an accurate maternal blood pressure: A quality improvement initiative to improve nursing knowledge and confidence” examines nurses’ confidence in taking accurate blood pressures, fitting blood pressure cuffs correctly, administering antihypertensive medications, and more. Nurses who participated in the quality improvement program worked in the UnityPoint Health-Meriter obstetric triage, antepartum, labor and delivery, and postpartum units.

“A BP educational initiative and standardized BP cuff assessment increased nurses’ knowledge and confidence in selecting the correct cuff size and obtaining accurate readings. Increased knowledge and confidence may lead to greater adherence to standardized BP assessment during peripartum admission, more accurate BP measurements, and improved management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.”

Read the whole study here!