If what you are saying is that the checklist item "altimeters" is part of the DESCENT checklist, then this is a seriously flawed set up.On the Boeings that I fly, the checklist item "altimeters" is only actioned as part of the APPROACH checklist upon (or earlier) reaching the transition level, whatever that might be locally.As is commonly the case, the job of MONITORING often is not performed very well by many pilots, and I would suggest that more emphasis needs to be placed on this function during most training events.