Home blood pressure monitoring: what does the evidence say?

### Key learning points Hypertension affects 25% of the global population and is a major preventable cause of premature disability and mortality.1 Importantly, symptoms are usually absent and as a result patients are often undiagnosed and undertreated—this, despite the unequivocal evidence confirming the health and economic benefits of blood pressure (BP) lowering in hypertension. Non-invasive brachial artery BP measurement has been central to the screening, assessment and treatment monitoring of hypertension in clinical practice and has traditionally been undertaken in the clinic. This practice has shifted in the past decade, with major international hypertension societies endorsing the use of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) as a standard of care for hypertension management.2–7 This is supported by accumulating evidence that HBPM is reproducible and accurate provided that patients are taught …