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Consumer Reports and Blood Pressure Monitors In its September 2008 edition it reviewed blood pressure monitors and blood glucose monitors. The report is for subscribers only (although an online subscription to Consumer Reports Health is not expensive). From an overview of the results: No one should settle for less than high-scoring models, since at-home monitoring can help people manage their blood pressure or diabetes and stave off such serious complications as heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. Experts say relying on the readings of an inaccurate model could lead to inadequate care. ...Our tests included laboratory measurements of the blood-pressure monitor and blood-glucose meter models’ accuracy and scores by panels of people who rated the devices’ ease of use and commented on various features. Here’s what we found: Automatic arm-type blood-pressure monitors were more accurate, overall, than wrist monitors. Four of the arm models tested were judged to be excellent, partly because of their accuracy: * Omron Women’s Advanced Elite, Only one blood-glucose meter, the OneTouch UltraMini Earlier, in June 2003, it also reviewed home blood pressure monitors. This report is for subscribers only. However, some of its recommendations have found their way onto other websites. (Note that some of the models in the report have been superseded by newer units and are no longer available.) Thus, an article in the Clinical Diabetes journal said: A recent Consumer Reports article tested 16 of the top-selling home monitors. The number one recommended automatic inflation monitor was the Omron Intellisense HEM-711AC In 2004 the Pharmacist's Letter/Prescriber's Letter published a three-page newssheet "Home Blood Pressure Monitors" (no longer online), for doctors to give their patients. It included a comparison table of leading models. It said that, among automatic arm units, the "products rated most highly by Consumer Reports" were: • Omron HEM-711AC It said two manual arm units were "equally rated by Consumer Reports": • Lifesource Manual Inflation BPM UA-702V, UA-702VL And it said that one automatic wrist unit was "rated most highly by Consumer Reports": • Omron HEM-637 In May 2005, Choice magazine, the Australian equivalent of Consumer Reports, published its own survey of 18 home blood pressure monitors. Many of the units tested in Australia are not available in the US market (for example, Citizen blood pressure monitors are popular in Australia but are not generally sold in America), so the report is not particularly useful for American consumers. However, it is worth noting that the top-rated model in Australia was the Lifesource UA-767. * See the Newest Products and Get the Latest Prices on Blood Pressure Monitors See also my report Guide to Buying the Best Home Blood Pressure Monitor. And for the latest information, and to see what other customers are buying, check out the following Amazon.com best-seller lists (which are updated hourly): * Best-Sellers in Blood Pressure Monitors * Best-Sellers in Automatic Blood Pressure Monitors * Best-Sellers in Arm Blood Pressure Monitors * Best-Sellers in Wrist Blood Pressure Monitors * Best-Sellers in Manual Blood Pressure Monitors August 6th, 2008
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The Consumer Reports journal is highly regarded, and is widely consulted by shoppers making a purchase. The publication maintains a website, and freely gives out a limited amount of excellent information. However, its comprehensive tests are generally for subscribers only.
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