Chan Jonathan C H, Vandermeer Ian, Picone Dean S, Tsuyuki Ross T
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
CJC Open. 2023 Oct 6;6(1):54-56. doi: 10.1016/j.cjco.2023.10.001. eCollection 2024 Jan.
Measurement of home blood pressure is an important tool for the management of hypertension. However, the validity of home devices is of concern. The Recommended Blood Pressure Devices Program of Hypertension Canada reviews and recommends blood pressure devices using international validation standards. We sought to determine the proportion of Hypertension Canada-recommended devices available for purchase in pharmacies and online.
We visited 16 community pharmacies in the Edmonton area to record the blood pressure devices they sold. We also reviewed the 50 most popular devices from online retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Canadian Tire). All devices were referenced against the Recommended Blood Pressure Device Program of Hypertension Canada (www.hypertension.ca/bpdevices) to determine if the models were recommended.
We reviewed 170 devices. Of those sold in pharmacies, 61 of 68 (89.7%) were Hypertension Canada-recommended devices, whereas online retailers had only 46 of 102 (45.1%) recommended devices; < 0.001.
Most blood pressure devices sold in pharmacies are Hypertension Canada recommended, in contrast to less than one-half from online retailers. The lack of validation of many home blood pressure devices could have important clinical implications, leading to over- or undertreatment of hypertension. Clinicians should advise patients on the importance of home blood pressure device validation and direct them to resources such as Hypertension Canada (https://hypertension.ca/public/recommended-devices) for guidance.
家庭血压测量是高血压管理的一项重要工具。然而,家用设备的有效性令人担忧。加拿大高血压协会的推荐血压设备计划依据国际验证标准对血压设备进行审查并给出推荐。我们试图确定在药店和网上可购买到的加拿大高血压协会推荐设备的比例。
我们走访了埃德蒙顿地区的16家社区药店,记录他们所售的血压设备。我们还查看了在线零售商(亚马逊、沃尔玛、百思买和加拿大轮胎)最畅销的50种设备。所有设备均对照加拿大高血压协会的推荐血压设备计划(www.hypertension.ca/bpdevices)来确定型号是否被推荐。
我们审查了170种设备。在药店所售的设备中,68种里有61种(89.7%)是加拿大高血压协会推荐的设备,而在线零售商所售的102种设备中只有46种(45.1%)是推荐设备;P<0.001。
与在线零售商不到一半的推荐设备相比,药店所售的大多数血压设备是加拿大高血压协会推荐的。许多家用血压设备缺乏验证可能会产生重要的临床影响,导致高血压治疗过度或不足。临床医生应告知患者家用血压设备验证的重要性,并引导他们获取如加拿大高血压协会(https://hypertension.ca/public/recommended-devices)等资源以获得指导。