In England, there are over eight million people diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure).
A blood pressure test is a simple way of checking if someone’s blood pressure is too high or too low. Blood pressure tests can be carried out at a number of places, including at home – using a patient’s own digital blood pressure monitor, a local pharmacy and GP practice, at an NHS Health Check appointment (offered to adults in England aged 40-74), or even in some opticians and supermarkets.
Home blood pressure monitoring enables patients with hypertension to measure and share their blood pressure readings with their GP from their home.
There are a variety of low-cost blood pressure monitors available that patients can buy to use at home. If you are buying a blood pressure monitor, make sure it is approved for use in the UK. To make sure your monitor is accurate, choose one that has been listed as validated for accuracy by the British and Irish Hypertension Society (BIHS). There are a number of places you can purchase a blood pressure monitor including the British Heart Foundation online shop.
Home blood pressure monitoring has been identified as a priority for cardiovascular disease management as the NHS recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that patients can manage their hypertension well and remotely, reducing the need to attend GP appointments.
There is a substantial evidence base supporting the use of home blood pressure monitoring. It has been shown to:
Regular home blood pressure monitoring across a population of 50,000 patients could prevent up to 500 heart attacks and 745 strokes over five years. This video produced UCLPartners describes the benefits of remote monitoring blood pressure.