After an initial high blood pressure reading, when should you recheck?

• A. Immediately after the reading
• B. After 15 minutes of rest in the same position
• C. After 5 minutes of rest in the same position; take multiple readings and average
• D. Only if symptoms develop

Answer: (C)

The point of this question is to get an accurate read by allowing the body to settle after a high measurement. If the first reading is high, you don’t rush to recheck immediately. Give the patient a chance to rest so any temporary factors—like recent activity, stress, caffeine, or talking—don’t skew the result. The best approach is to have the patient rest for about five minutes in the same position, then take more than one reading and average them. This combination—resting, repeating measurements, and averaging—gives a more reliable estimate of true blood pressure and reduces the chance of labeling someone as hypertensive based on a single elevated value.