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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this nurse was unprofessional?

383 replies

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:06

So I went for an appointment at my GP surgery to try and verify the accuracy of two home blood pressure monitors we have in our house. The two monitors give virtually identical readings to each other for everyone in our family - but for my sister one reads 10 - 15 points lower than the other on thr systolic number.

During the appointment, my sister attempted to explain the situation and that she wanted to compare both machines against a manual reading. The nurse immediately told her to "just bin" one of the machines without any attempt to even compare it

The nurse then proceeded to only check one of the machines (the one that reads lower). When the machine displayed a reading of 150/100, she then performed a "manual check" and literally immediately stated "yeah 150/100". Might be just me, but this rapid confirmation seems like the nurse was simply just re-stating the reading she had seen on the machines screen (literally told me her reading was the exact same number) rather than conducting a genuine, independent manual verification. Her pre-judgement of which machine was correct was evident from the beginning, as she refused to consider checking the second machine, despite my clear explanation of the discrepancy of both machines for me, but identical readings for the rest of the family

As a result, I was left in the exact same position I was in before the appointment. I actually suffer from anxiety and came back in tears at how sharp and unhelpful she had been, and because it seemed she had made her mind up there and then she was only checking one machine and that was the correct one (despite them giving the same readings for everyone else), i don't trust what she told me at all

OP posts:
FlangelinaJolie · 19/06/2025 20:00

screwyou · 19/06/2025 17:14

I am only shocked a Nurse would waste her time with you under these circumstances and I am a Nurse.

Yes this!!!! What a waste of time !

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:00

Flamingoknees · 19/06/2025 19:57

It was the nurses job to check your BP with the surgery's machine. She should not get involved in "checking machines" or using patient's own machines.
Your sister should not of been involved in your appointment.
My best advice to you, is to stop checking your own and everyone elses BP. Have it checked by the nurse or GP at agreed intervals or if feeling unwell,or with a machine supplied by the GP, if they ever request regular home recordings for a week. This will avoid regular checks, with various machines, feeding your anxiety.

Also our surgery are short on machines due to people not returning them

OP posts:
Lovemycat2023 · 19/06/2025 20:01

It is very confusing, and not logical. The thing is I’m not sure how the nurse would fix the problem. Did she do a reading on her own machine? Surely that would tell you which was accurate? I am confused.

wordler · 19/06/2025 20:01

But also if she tested manually and then tested one of the machines and it was the same then you know that one is the one that's the most accurate. She didn't need to test the second one.

If she'd tested one and it was wildly out then she would have suggested trying the second one.

Your OP sounds as though you don't believe that she actually did her manual test properly because you find it suspicious that it was the same reading she got with your machine.

I can't imagine a nurse would fake a blood pressure reading, so whichever of the two machines she did check is obviously the more accurate, so just keep using that one from now on.

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:03

FlangelinaJolie · 19/06/2025 20:00

Yes this!!!! What a waste of time !

Again.......
We did not request the appointment ourselves!!!!!! Didn't phone up and ask for appointment and neither did we ask for one online either. Messaged asking for advice with one giving very high readings and one low, a healthcare assistant triaged and then booked the appointment and told us to take both machines in!

OP posts:
ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:04

wordler · 19/06/2025 20:01

But also if she tested manually and then tested one of the machines and it was the same then you know that one is the one that's the most accurate. She didn't need to test the second one.

If she'd tested one and it was wildly out then she would have suggested trying the second one.

Your OP sounds as though you don't believe that she actually did her manual test properly because you find it suspicious that it was the same reading she got with your machine.

I can't imagine a nurse would fake a blood pressure reading, so whichever of the two machines she did check is obviously the more accurate, so just keep using that one from now on.

If she had agreed to test both and then tested the first and found it was correct, fine

But the way she straight away told us to "just bin" that one without first checking which was correct - she had made her mind up from the start

OP posts:
BrightLightTonight · 19/06/2025 20:05

Surely, if you have two machines that are showing vastly different readings, you would bin them both and buy a new machine for less than £35 saving the underfunded NHS a ridiculous & expensive appointment.
YABVU

Greybeardy · 19/06/2025 20:05

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 19:52

Thats the issue, you can't compare 1 reading taken in the surgery to readings taken at home. Yes the one in the surgery was high... and would match the one giving very high readings at home. But the surgery reading may only have been high due to whitecoat hypertension if that makes sense? Some people get whitecoat hypertension where BP shoots up in medical setting. It might actually be normal at home

op you're really not getting it are you? It doesn't matter what the numbers were today....what matters is that the machine she checked gave the same numbers as hers (both machines will have picked up a higher BP because you probably have a white coat element to your numbers). What it means though is that your machine should also be giving useful readings at home and if you took her machine home its readings would be the same as your home machines readings at home. Just throw the other machine away. BP measuring isn't that precise a science... you really are overthinking it!

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:06

Lovemycat2023 · 19/06/2025 20:01

It is very confusing, and not logical. The thing is I’m not sure how the nurse would fix the problem. Did she do a reading on her own machine? Surely that would tell you which was accurate? I am confused.

Hey, its the way she straight off told us "just bin" that one before even checking which was correct that has cast the doubt. Telling us to "just bin" that one and saying she was only checking the one she chose to check, its like she made her mind up from the start if that makes sense?

OP posts:
ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:07

Greybeardy · 19/06/2025 20:05

op you're really not getting it are you? It doesn't matter what the numbers were today....what matters is that the machine she checked gave the same numbers as hers (both machines will have picked up a higher BP because you probably have a white coat element to your numbers). What it means though is that your machine should also be giving useful readings at home and if you took her machine home its readings would be the same as your home machines readings at home. Just throw the other machine away. BP measuring isn't that precise a science... you really are overthinking it!

Can't be sure if it is whitecoat

OP posts:
ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:08

Greybeardy · 19/06/2025 20:05

op you're really not getting it are you? It doesn't matter what the numbers were today....what matters is that the machine she checked gave the same numbers as hers (both machines will have picked up a higher BP because you probably have a white coat element to your numbers). What it means though is that your machine should also be giving useful readings at home and if you took her machine home its readings would be the same as your home machines readings at home. Just throw the other machine away. BP measuring isn't that precise a science... you really are overthinking it!

Thats the thing, can't be sure if it is whitecoat?

OP posts:
FancyLimePoet · 19/06/2025 20:08

OP, sorry you are feeling anxious. I wonder whether the cuffs of the monitors are different sizes? If your family are smaller or bigger maybe the cuffs fit them, but one of the cuffs doesn’t fit you ?

wordler · 19/06/2025 20:09

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:04

If she had agreed to test both and then tested the first and found it was correct, fine

But the way she straight away told us to "just bin" that one without first checking which was correct - she had made her mind up from the start

But it seems she accuarately predicted the one which matched the most correct reading. Maybe she knew that the one she suggested binning was known to be inaccurate.

So I agree that her manner may have seemed dismissive to you. But the end result was the one you needed.

She found that one of your machines was testing accurately.

Just out of interest is the one she tested the machine showing high blood pressure or normal blood pressure?

itbemay1 · 19/06/2025 20:09

We haven’t time for this madness. Sorry OP but stop wasting NHS time

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:10

FancyLimePoet · 19/06/2025 20:08

OP, sorry you are feeling anxious. I wonder whether the cuffs of the monitors are different sizes? If your family are smaller or bigger maybe the cuffs fit them, but one of the cuffs doesn’t fit you ?

Hey, cuffs are the same sizes as measured my arm to make sure i got the right size

OP posts:
YorkshireGoldie · 19/06/2025 20:10

Why is “manual check” in inverted commas? Do you not think she checked it properly? By manual check do you mean she checked with her own instruments?

Also with BP problems I’m not sure I’d be posting on AIBU when it’s clear YABU

TimeForATerf · 19/06/2025 20:10

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 19:56

It does not at all, honestly some comments on here are so harsh

Aye, OK pet. The fact you are frothing at the mouth about something you’re not trained in says all I need to know.

Seriously, take a step back and stop thinking you know more than trained professionals who have done a degree and possibly PG in their field and questioning what they say. You catch more flies with honey..

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:11

wordler · 19/06/2025 20:09

But it seems she accuarately predicted the one which matched the most correct reading. Maybe she knew that the one she suggested binning was known to be inaccurate.

So I agree that her manner may have seemed dismissive to you. But the end result was the one you needed.

She found that one of your machines was testing accurately.

Just out of interest is the one she tested the machine showing high blood pressure or normal blood pressure?

You can't just take a chance and predict which will be correct

OP posts:
ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:12

TimeForATerf · 19/06/2025 20:10

Aye, OK pet. The fact you are frothing at the mouth about something you’re not trained in says all I need to know.

Seriously, take a step back and stop thinking you know more than trained professionals who have done a degree and possibly PG in their field and questioning what they say. You catch more flies with honey..

Where did i say i knew more then the professionals???? And I'm not frothing at the mouth.....

OP posts:
wordler · 19/06/2025 20:12

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:08

Thats the thing, can't be sure if it is whitecoat?

No, but all that matters is you own a machine which is giving a close reading to the one done on the surgery's machine.

So you can relax and stop worrying about the difference between the two you own and just use the one that got tested from this point for the seven day check.

I know you'll still be worrying about the blood pressure but you don't need to keep worrying about the machine.

HerNeighbourTotoro · 19/06/2025 20:13

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:25

The thing is, for everyone else in our family the machines are giving readings close to each other, for example I checked with both this afternoon and 132/85 on one machine, then 5 minutes later 130/84 on the other. My sister's top number is a much bigger difference 15- 20 points. So i don't think the machines are inaccurate, just for some reason they are on my sister

Jesus wept, so the readings are accurate for you but then YOUR SISTER goes to waste someones time to check the machine, why?

Mymanyellow · 19/06/2025 20:13

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:11

You can't just take a chance and predict which will be correct

But she was right it was the same or similar to your own one. That means white coat or not that machine is correct.

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:13

TimeForATerf · 19/06/2025 20:10

Aye, OK pet. The fact you are frothing at the mouth about something you’re not trained in says all I need to know.

Seriously, take a step back and stop thinking you know more than trained professionals who have done a degree and possibly PG in their field and questioning what they say. You catch more flies with honey..

As i say.... did you bother to read that I did not request the appointment! One of the healthcare professionals at these surgery booked it and was told to take both machines in....... pet

OP posts:
wordler · 19/06/2025 20:14

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:11

You can't just take a chance and predict which will be correct

Well she had a 50/50 chance and picked the one which had the same result as the surgery's machine. If she'd picked incorrectly and the reading had been wildly out then I'm sure she would have apologised and tested the other machine.

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 20:15

HerNeighbourTotoro · 19/06/2025 20:13

Jesus wept, so the readings are accurate for you but then YOUR SISTER goes to waste someones time to check the machine, why?

Yes.... FOR ME! Not for my sister, hence why we were checking which is giving the most accurate reading for her........ Jesus wept at those not reading comments properly

OP posts: