§ 01
Cardiovascular
Clinical fitness assessment

Blood Pressure

Screen for hypertension — one of the most important health markers.

Equipment

Blood pressure cuff (validated digital monitor or manual sphygmomanometer with stethoscope).

The protocol
  1. 01Client seated comfortably, back supported, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed.
  2. 02Rest for at least 5 minutes before measurement. No talking during measurement.
  3. 03Apply the cuff to the left upper arm (unless contraindicated) with the bladder centred over the brachial artery.
  4. 04The arm should be supported at heart level (on a table or armrest).
  5. 05Use an appropriately sized cuff — the bladder should encircle at least 80% of the arm.
  6. 06Inflate and record systolic and diastolic values.
  7. 07If elevated, wait 2 minutes and repeat. Average the readings.
What to watch for
  • Cuff too small (over-reads) or too large (under-reads).
  • Arm not at heart level — below heart level inflates the reading.
  • Client talking or moving during measurement.
  • Systolic ≥180 or diastolic ≥110: STOP testing, refer to emergency services immediately (GainPT global safety floor — see src/lib/calculations.ts breachesBpSafetyFloor()).
Normative scoring

UK bands — NICE NG136: Stage 1 hypertension 140-159/90-99. Stage 2 hypertension 160-179/100-119. Stage 3 (severe) hypertension ≥180 or ≥120. Below Stage 1, ESC/ESH (2018): Optimal <120/80, Normal 120-129/80-84, High-normal 130-139/85-89. A single reading is not a diagnosis — NICE requires ABPM/HBPM confirmation before diagnosing hypertension.

Run it with GainPT

Run this test with branded client reports.

GainPT scores Blood Pressure against published normative data and turns it into a clean, GainPT-branded PDF your client keeps. All 47 clinical tests, unlimited retests — free to start, no card required.