[Corbeille (OP)]

I see small personal blood pressure testers advertised and wondered if they are any good?. I'm sure they are not as accurate as the cuff type that the doctor uses in his surgery but will they give a reliable reading?

you can't crack me I'm a rubber duck!

[tweener]

I have a friend at work that uses one and says it agrees well with the doctor's unit on the days he goes to the doctor.  Just my two cents.

----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.

[bezoar]

Surprisingly, most are pretty accurate.  They need calibration after a while, but by that time, you could just buy a new one.  The only one I'd caution against are the ones that fit on a finger and give a pressure.  These won't be accurate if your circulation is impaired.

[chris]

I agree with Nancy.

Home BP measurements, when you are relaxed, are often much more meaningful than recordings taken by the doctor because of the 'white coat effect'. When people go to the doctor to have their blood pressure checked they are often stressed (even if they don't realise it) and this can put up blood pressure.

I've seen a couple of patients that were repeatedly hypertensive whenever they went to see their GP to have their blood pressures checked. Because they were both becoming increasingly nervous every time they attended the surgery their GP gave them a home BP monitor to use for a few days. Both returned 2 weeks later with blood pressure diaries revealing that they had perfectly normal blood pressure. A diagnosis of "white coat hypertension" was made, no further action was taken except to ask them to return for further periodic checks in future, and they went home happy !

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx