Physicians function as mobile examination center (MEC) team members with the primary function of serving as the safety officer, as well as collecting blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse data. These measurements are the data source for reporting the national standard for blood pressure and heart rate from the NHANES. The American Heart Association blood pressure protocol is used, which results in standardized data collection across both MEC teams. The physician examination protocol, described in detail in Chapter 4, emphasizes the importance of following the protocol for the purpose of systematic, prioritized survey data collection.