An effective method for teaching physical assessment: introduction of exercise for measuring blood pressure and pulse rate

Abstract

The healthcare system has been changing from hospital-centered to home-centered in the ageing Japanese society. ‘My pharmacist’ system has recently begun and the opportunities that pharmacists make physical assessment at the patient’s home or at the health-consulting counter of drug stores are expected to increase.

We are teaching how to make physical assessment in the clinical pharmacy practice program at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ritsumeikan University. This paper describes the method for teaching technique how to measure pulse rate and blood pressure.

A pair of students measured each other’s pulse rate and blood pressure three times prior to and after a 600 m run. Distracted by the exercise, student’s nervousness decreased and they could naturally and efficiently acquire the technique of measuring the pulse rate and blood pressure. In addition, they could learn the mechanism of blood pressure by analyzing their own data. ‘Fun’ is an important factor for effective learning.