Blood pressure self-measurement in the obstetric waiting room.

Background: Pregnant diabetic patients are often required to self-measure their blood pressure in the waiting room before consultation. Currently used blood pressure devices do not guarantee valid measurements when used unsupervised. This could lead to misdiagnosis and treatment error.

Measurement adherence in the blood pressure self-measurement room.

Background: Patients with hypertension or receiving blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment are often required to self-measure their BP in a dedicated self-measurement room before consultation. Current praxis does not guarantee valid measurements, possibly leading to misdiagnoses or inappropriate antihypertensive medication. The aim of this study was to investigate patients' ability to correctly self-report and follow recommendations.

Challenges in blood pressure self-measurement.

Blood pressure self-measurement (BPSM) requires patients to follow a range of recommendations in order to be considered reliable for diagnostic use. We investigated currently used BPSM interventions at four medical clinics combined with an online questionnaire targeting BPSM users. We found that the participating healthcare personnel perceived BPSM as a relevant and useful intervention method providing that the recommendations are followed.