Many people don’t measure their blood pressure properly at home – here’s how to get accurate readings
Niamh Chapman, University of Sydney; Dean Picone, University of Sydney, and Eleanor Clapham, University of Tasmania
Measuring your blood pressure at home means you can take readings over several days to get a better picture of your health, instead of one-off measurements at the doctor’s clinic.
It’s important you follow specific steps to get an accurate reading.
But our study found most Australians do not measure their blood pressure correctly at home and very few were told the steps to follow.
We have created resources to help people measure their blood pressure at home, understand their readings and take action with their health-care team.
High blood pressure is a big issue
High blood pressure is a major health problem in Australia and globally.
One in three Australian adults have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. This is when your blood pressure is at or above 140/90mmHg (mmHg refers to millimetres of mercury, a standard measurement of blood pressure).
High blood pressure is the leading contributor to preventable health issues and early death among Australians because it is the main risk factor for heart disease, stroke, dementia and kidney disease.
Why measuring blood pressure is important
High blood pressure often has no symptoms. So the only way to know if you have it is to measure it.
You may also need to check if your blood pressure has lowered after starting medication or if you’re making changes to your lifestyle, such as doing more exercise, giving up smoking or reducing salt intake. Low blood pressure (hypotension) can also be an issue.
But blood pressure changes based on how we are feeling, what we’ve eaten or the activities we have just been doing.
These normal responses mean our blood pressure can change from minute to minute and hour to hour. This is why there are specific, recommended steps to follow to reliably measure your blood pressure and to be able to compare readings taken days, months and years apart.
Mistakes are common
We surveyed and interviewed 350 people (who were all measuring their blood pressure at home) from around Australia to find out how Australians measure blood pressure at home and if they receive any education to help them know what to do.
Our study found no one followed all of the specific, recommended steps to measure their blood pressure. Instead they said they measured their blood pressure at different times of the day after doing different things.
We found most people measured their blood pressure while sitting down (90%) and with the cuff on their bare arm (77%), which is the right thing to do.
While 58% of people took two blood pressure measures each time, which is correct, only 40% used the average of the two blood pressure readings. Very few (15%) measured their blood pressure over several days in both the morning and evening.
Only half of the people in our study used a blood pressure device that had been clinically validated. This means the device has been tested for accuracy by the manufacturer according to international standards, not just safety.
Consultation and communication
Regardless of whether or not a doctor had recommended they measure their blood pressure at home, most people (78%) reported their blood pressure readings to their doctor.
These findings tell us doctors often use home blood pressure readings to help diagnose and manage high blood pressure. This emphasises how important it is to ensure people measure blood pressure correctly.
Many people were measuring their blood pressure a few times a week or month. But most guidelines recommend blood pressure only needs to be measured at home: every day over a week, every six months; and ideally before you see your doctor and after you start or change blood pressure medication.
Measuring blood pressure at home can bring peace of mind, which many study participants described. But measuring your blood pressure too often may create unnecessary stress, potentially leading to higher blood pressure readings.
Instead, it’s better to agree with your doctor how often you should measure your blood pressure and to follow the recommended steps each time to make sure your readings are as accurate and useful as possible.
Support for blood pressure measurement
We found few people had received any education or guidance from health-care professionals about how to measure their blood pressure at home.
Instead, many study participants looked for information online to help them know what their blood pressure numbers meant and changes they could make to lower their blood pressure. They were less interested in learning how to measure accurately.
So we have worked with people who measure and manage their blood pressure at home to create a simple guide to help you choose a blood pressure device, measure your blood pressure accurately, understand your blood pressure readings and take action to control your blood pressure.
For more information about managing your blood pressure at home, see our resources. You can also check if your blood pressure device has been tested for accuracy.
Niamh Chapman, Senior Research Fellow, Hypertension and Patient Engagement, University of Sydney; Dean Picone, Senior Research Fellow, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, and Eleanor Clapham, PhD candidate, School of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania
Image credits: Shutterstock
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.