Status of hypertension screening in the Korea National General Health Screening Program: a questionnaire survey on 210 screening centers in two metropolitan areas

Background The purpose of this survey was to evaluate the performance of hypertension screening in medical institutions conducting the national general health screening program of the Republic of Korea. Methods We contacted 700 medical institutions of Seoul and Incheon areas which performed the national general health screening program in 2016, and 210 of them completed telephone survey. The questions asked in the survey include equipment, environment, personnel and quality control procedures for blood pressure (BP) measurement, and interpretation of the measurements. Results A majority of the responding screening centers used oscilloscope sphygmomanometers (51.9%), had only one-sized cuff (65.2%), and measured BP in open space (54.3%). BP levels were measured mainly by nurses (62.0%) and doctors (25.0%), after a 1 to10 minutes (84.9%) of resting period. A 75.2% of screening centers regularly calibrated sphygmomanometers, 81.4% had a manual for BP measurement, and 59.0% had a training program. A 80.0% of respondents answered that they used averages of multiple BP measurements to determine an individual's BP level, and 82.9% answered that criteria for hypertension was systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg. If a screening finds an individual with hypertension, 82.9% of centers recommend revisiting for a second BP measurement rather than start medication immediately. Conclusion In most medical institutions performing general health screening program, certified medical personnel measure BP and interpret the results according to established protocols. However, there is room for improvement in the equipment, environment and quality control procedures for BP measurement.