The influence of the method of data analysis on the reported accuracy of automated blood pressure measuring devices

OBJECTIVE: To show that different methods of data analysis affect the grading that blood pressure measuring devices achieve according to the British Hypertension Society (BHS)-protocol. METHODS: Based on the somewhat unclear description of the exact method of data analysis in the BHS-protocol four different methods can be discerned. The effect on the grading-results is calculated for these four different options. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: It is shown that using these four different options the achieved grade can range for diastolic blood pressure from C (option 1) to almost A (option 4) and for systolic blood pressure from D (option 1) to B (option 4). Different researchers may well have used different methods. Option 1 is the method that should be used. Also it is stated that the systematic error and the standard deviation of differences (SDD) are measures that give more insight to describe a device's performance. Calculating the grades after correction for the systematic error shows its influence and that of the SDD on the reported accuracy of a blood pressure measuring device.