How to choose the best BP monitor for your practice
Blood pressure is one of the most important indicators in the body that will either shoot up or get low as per the issue that is being faced by the individual. So needless to say, it is an important indicator that needs constant monitoring, especially for physicians and cardiologists who need to diagnose issues like hypertension, hypotension, cardiovascular problems, etc. A Blood Pressure monitor always comes in handy to measure the blood pressure and help the doctor in diagnosis. However, even the blood pressure monitor needs to be precise and reliable, or else the patient’s life, as well as the doctor’s reputation, stands threatened. Here, we talk about how you can choose the best BP machine or blood pressure monitor for practice.
The BP machine guide There are two types of blood pressure monitors- the conventional mercury type and the more advanced digital blood pressure monitor. The two lesser-known are the aneroid and manual sphygmomanometer. Even though it has been proven that the mercury type blood pressure monitor is more accurate as digital blood pressure monitors can be erroneous, doctors have their own preference. The initial step would be to choose between the manual or the automatic machine. Where manual requires precise operation and training, automatic ones can be used by all doctors.
1. For the best blood pressure monitoring machine, the doctor first needs to decide on their budget. Certain blood pressure monitors are expensive because of their features, durability as well as accuracy. The budget should be the preliminary factor here.
2. Next, you need to assess the amount of training involved. Choosing the best type to suit your needs would not be easy and hence if you are in practice, you need to know whether or not you can work with the particular type of blood pressure monitor. For example, the manual sphygmomanometer can only be used by well trained and experienced professionals whereas the digital sphygmomanometer can be used by any doctor or even at home.
3. Go for ease of use and accuracy, more than the frills. You are a doctor and what matters the most for you is the accuracy and ease of use rather than memory and features. Even though the mercury meter takes its time, it is more accurate and hence you should prefer it more. However if you want an easy to use BP machine that gives an approximate value of the blood pressure, the digital machine is the front runner.
4. Try avoiding wrist-based monitors. Yes, even though the wrist monitors are easy to use and give a quick reading, they are almost always imprecise. So if you are a specialist and need to know the exact reading to prescribe a particular medicine or to diagnose an illness, you should try not to settle for wrist monitors at all. Choosing the best blood pressure monitoring machine is fairly easy, provided you are armed with the correct information about the available products. There is nothing more important than accuracy when it comes to the patient’s life and no one understands it better than a doctor.
