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Consumers are faced with an ever-increasing array of blood pressure measuring devices, whether for use in clinical areas or for use by individuals anxious to measure their own blood pressure. Validation protocols that allow for independent evaluation of blood pressure measuring devices are available, and some of the devices on the market have been evaluated according to these protocols. The results of such evaluations have been published periodically in medical journals. However, such surveys are not readily available to the public and to health care authorities with responsibility for purchasing blood pressure measuring equipment for use in clinical medicine, and because of the necessarily lengthy publication process they are no longer up-to-date at the time of publication. Moreover, the results of published validation studies are often flawed because of protocol violations and the conclusions may not be valid. These considerations have been the stimulus for the establishment of an independent non-profit website, which will provide quarterly updates on the accuracy and performance of blood pressure measuring devices on the market as well as an expert assessment of the validation procedures on which recommendations are based. The ethos of the website is primarily educational and it is hoped that it will serve as a forum for the provision of much-needed information that will ultimately improve the management of hypertension. The website is due to be launched shortly and this paper outlines the general principles that have governed its establishment and the facilities that it will provide.
Eoin O Brien (Fri,) studied this question.