SELF-MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD-PRESSURE - ISSUES RELATED TO THE TRAINING OF PATIENTS

For effective self-measurement of blood pressure, patients need to be able to obtain accurate and reproducible measurements. Criteria for me asuring blood pressure have been well developed in research studies, a nd through the use of standardized training programs it has been estab lished that nonmedically trained individuals can obtain valid measurem ents. These recommendations for blood pressure measurement were adapte d to the self-measurement situation. Either manual sphygmomanometers o r automated electronic devices can be used effectively. Although autom ated devices may be easier to use, the health care practitioner should ensure that any such device has been demonstrated to be accurate and reliable before its adoption. There are no reported programs available for training individuals in the use of self-measurement. A check-list has been developed for use by health care practitioners. It is estima ted that proper training will usually take more than 20 mins. Since ma ny health care practitioners do not use the recommended blood pressure measurement technique, there is also a need to develop programs to 't rain the trainers'. Finally, individuals undertaking regular self-meas urement should have their technique and the calibration of their instr uments checked at regular intervals (six to 12 months).