White Coat Hypertension

The White Coat Hypertension phenomenon, or simply white coat syndrome, is a form of labile hypertension in which people exhibit a blood pressure level above the normal range only when examined by a doctor or nurse in a clinical setting. In other words, the observer (i.e., the clinician who attempts to make the measurement) influences the parameter that s/he wants to measure. Probably the anxiety experienced in a clinical setting is responsible for the elevation in the blood pressure or pulse. The observer interacts with the object of observation and influences its behaviour. De Zeeuw classified such cases within the second phase of science.

Citations

• De Zeeuw G. (1997). Three phases of science: a methodological exploration. Research memorandum of the Nijmegen Business School in volume Organizational Cybernetics.