The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7304 p758
19 June 2004

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Blood pressure monitoring at home leads to better control

Monitoring of blood pressure by patients at home is associated with better control of hypertension than monitoring done in health care settings, according to research presented at the European Society of Hypertension in Paris earlier this week.

Researchers analysed data from 18 studies involving nearly 3,000 people with hypertension — 1,359 monitored their blood pressure at home, while 1,355 had their blood pressure monitored at a clinic. As well as blood pressure being lower in people who measured it at home, a greater proportion of them achieved blood pressure targets when assessed in the clinic. “As home blood pressure monitoring is now feasible, acceptable to patients and reliable for most [patients], it could be considered as a useful, though adjunctive, practice to involve patients more closely in the management of their own blood pressure and help to manage their hypertension more effectively,” the researchers conclude.

The study is also published in BMJ Online First