April 24, 2025 
Contact: Brian Consiglio, consigliob@missouri.edu 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a graph worth? For doctors trying to determine whether a patient’s blood pressure is within normal range, the answer may depend on the type of graph they’re looking at.

A new study from the University of Missouri highlights how different graph formats can affect clinical decision-making. Because blood pressure fluctuates moment to moment, day to day, it can be tricky for doctors to accurately assess it.

“Sometimes a patient’s blood pressure is high at the doctor’s office but normal at home, a condition called white coat hypertension,” Victoria Shaffer, a psychology professor in the College of Arts and Science and lead author of the study, said. “There are some estimates that 10% to 20% of the high blood pressure that gets diagnosed in the clinic is actually controlled — it’s just white coat hypertension — and if you take those same people’s blood pressure at home, it is really controlled.”