During physical assessments, how should the nurse ensure proper blood pressure measurement?

The rationale for selecting the option that states the bladder of the blood pressure cuff should cover 80% of the client’s arm is rooted in the principles of accurate blood pressure measurement. An appropriately sized cuff is crucial to obtaining valid readings. The bladder of the cuff must encircle at least 80% of the arm in adults to ensure that it can exert sufficient pressure on the artery and achieve accurate readings. When the bladder is of the right size, it can effectively compress the artery during measurement, ensuring that the pressure readings reflect the true systolic and diastolic pressures.

Cuff size has a direct impact on measurement accuracy, and if the cuff does not adequately cover the arm, it may lead to false readings, either high or low, depending on the size mismatch.

Positioning the cuff improperly, using a too-small cuff, or having the patient stand can also interfere with accurate assessments; however, the most critical factor is the adequacy of the cuff size for accurate measurement, which is why the selected answer focuses on the circumference coverage provided by the cuff bladder on the arm.