How to Tell if Your Home Blood Pressure Monitor is Accurate

by Dr. Jen Caudle

Monitoring your blood pressure at home is a vital step in managing your health, but it’s essential to ensure that your home blood pressure monitor is accurate. Here are some steps to verify the accuracy of your monitor.

1. Have Your Doctor Check Your Machine

One of the best ways to test your home monitor's accuracy is by comparing its readings with those from a healthcare professional’s device. Schedule a visit to your doctor’s office and take your monitor with you.

As a family doctor I have my patients set up their home blood pressure monitor and take their blood pressure with their machine during our appointment. I will then check their blood pressure manually with the cuff I have in my office. If there’s a significant difference between the two, we then discuss changes that might need to be made.

2. Check the List of Validated Blood Pressure Monitors

One thing you should absolutely do is to check the list of validated blood pressure monitors to see if yours is on the list. If your monitor is not on the list, these lists can be a guide for which monitors to consider purchasing.

According to Harvard Health:

• For blood pressure monitors available in the United States, with validation criteria set by the American Medical Association and other U.S. groups and experts, consult the U.S. Blood Pressure Validated Device Listing, or VDL (https://validatebp.org).

  
  

• For blood pressure monitors that meet validation criteria set by organizations outside the United States, check out STRIDE BP (https://stridebp.org/bp-monitors).

• The AAFP also suggests a list that you can find here.

3. Make Sure Your Blood Pressure Cuff is the Right Size

Your blood pressure readings will not be accurate (no matter how accurate your monitor is) if you don't have the right size cuff. Take a peek at this video on how to make sure your blood pressure cuff is the correct size: https://youtu.be/a8RiAhowoYo.

Do You Check Your Blood Pressure at Home?

• Yes
• No

4. Check Your Blood Pressure Correctly

Ensuring the accuracy of your home blood pressure monitor is crucial for effective health management. But it's also important that you follow the proper steps to checking your blood presure. Here are a few reminders about how to check your blood pressure so that your readings will be accurate as well:

• Don't eat or drink anything 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure.

• Empty your bladder before checking your blood pressure

• Sit in a comfortable chair with your back supported for at least 5 minutes before your reading.

• Put both feet flat on the ground and keep your legs uncrossed.

• Rest your arm with the cuff on a table at chest height.

• Do not talk while your blood pressure is being measured.

Source: CDC

Here's a video I made demonstrating how to properly check your blood pressure- hope this is helpful to demonstrate some of the tips I mentioned above. Also, if you get nervous when you have your blood pressure taken at the doctor's office, please consider trying 4-7-8 Breathing, a technique that might help you relax.

I hope this was helpful- please let me know!

Best wishes, Dr. Jen

Dr. Jen Caudle is a board-certified Family Physician, Associate Professor at Rowan University,  tv health expert, and video creator. I invite you to subscribe to my Meditation Channel on YouTube.  Also, follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.