The presence of pulses in the wrist (radial), neck (carotid) and groin (femoral) are good guidelines when checking for signs of shock, generally part of the Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) survey. Taking a BP is usually part of the secondary survey and in many cases not worth taking the time during a trauma situation. Always check for pluse presence bilaterally.

I would not use the presence of a pulse or pulsation of the temporal artery for hypertension detection. A series of BPs is a much better indicator. As you have said for Basic First Aid, hypertension is not generally treatable and best left to other health care providers.

While it is true that many of the signs and symptoms (S&S) are silent in cases of hypertension and is commonly referred to as the silent killer. Many individuals experience frequent headaches, dizziness and other S&S that are the result of the damage the hypertension is causing in other organs. Pete