The accuracy and sufficiency of information in the blood pressure chart

Abstract

Background: The current blood pressure chart design on the Korean National Health Insurance Service health screening report is misleading due to inaccurate blood pressure categorization and insufficient information; calculated pulse pressure, the expert's diagnosis of BP readings, and recommended actions are not provided with the chart. Three formats of alternative designs were developed: Table, Chart, and TableChart. Methods: The current and alternative designs were tested. For communication performance, participants read 12 mock blood pressure test results: 3 blood pressure cases (Normal, Prehypertension Stage2, Pulse Pressure) displayed in four designs (Current, Table, Chart, and Table Chart). Comprehension scores were given for accurate reporting of the diagnosis and the rationale. For design properties, participants rated four designs and named the most preferred with comments. Results: Design–Case interaction in communication performance was confirmed. While no difference was found for Normal, Table and Table Chart worked better for Prehypertension Stage2 (p < 0.001), and all alternatives outscored Current for Pulse Pressure (p < 0.001). Regarding design properties, Current was superior in text readability and blood pressure reading visibility, but Table outperformed Current in diagnosis visibility. Conclusion: Table and TableChart types were comparably effective in communicating all blood pressure cases; they displayed accurate and sufficient information in an organized tabular format that facilitated the given task of finding specific data points. The Table type was most preferred due to its highlighted key information and clarity. Findings suggest consideration of information accuracy, information sufficiency, and task-representation relevance in health communication material design.