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Home Blood Pressure Monitors - Are They Accurate?As technology improves, new models come to market and prices fall, blood pressure monitors are increasingly a part of many people's health and healing programs. But lingering doubts remain - how accurate are they? Studies are not numerous, but those that are available suggest a good degree of accuracy. For example, in a major report, the US Pharmacist journal found that home monitors from the leading manufacturers performed extremely well. Stating that "accuracy should be the primary goal for device selection", it especially recommended units from Omron and A&D Medical/LifeSource. It also said that "high-quality, clinically tested monitors" came from Lumiscope, Mark of Fitness, Panasonic and Samsung. And it commented: The most critical function that manufacturers of home blood pressure monitors are continually refining is accuracy. This industry has historically lacked strict guidelines for manufacturing and overall performance. A device can give inaccurate data for a number of reasons. Operator error and device malfunctions are the most common. Patient counseling that reinforces the importance of correctly using and maintaining a monitor may prevent errors.
The reason is of course the phenomenon of "white coat hypertension", whereby certain patients experience a degree of nervousness in the doctor's surgery, with a consequent elevation in their blood pressure readings. Back home the reading is normal. It should also be noted that taking one's own blood pressure on a regular, frequent basis can yield important information to the doctor. And the practise of taking regular readings at home can also help hypertension sufferers to understand the importance of discipline in managing their problems. The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) sets standards for blood pressure monitors, although it is still permissible for devices that have not met these standards to be marketed. So look for a label declaring that the unit you are interested in purchasing has met the standard. In fact, some manufacturers take pride in exceeding the AAMI standards. Thus, A&D Medical writes: LifeSource blood pressure monitors exceed accuracy standards set by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. The AAMI requires that monitors be accurate even after 10,000 inflations. And Omron states: All models...are clinically proven accurate. Pressure is plus or minus three millimeters of mercury or two percent of reading. Pulse is plus or minus five percent of reading. This meets or exceeds the AAMI standards. Exercising normal levels of commonsense in their purchase, and learning how to use it correctly, consumers can feel confident that their blood pressure monitor will indeed prove accurate. * Get up-to-date information and the latest prices on blood pressure monitors.
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Categories Alternative medicine
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In fact, in some cases the accuracy of home monitors is superior to the reading from your own doctor.