Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Primary Care

Blood pressure control by home monitoring: meta-analysis of randomised trials

BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38121.684410.AE (Published 15 July 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:145

Rapid Response:

Overall effect, of home monitoring on BP readings, is much greater in practice

Nowadays, I seem to be looking more closer at patients who I feel
have a degree of "White Coat Hypertension", by targetting these patients,
and letting them record their own BP's prior to seeing me has resulted in
substantially lower BP readings than those listed in the article.

ALthough this article did not look at ambulatory home readings, I
find that home self monitoring gives similar readings. Patients find home
self monitoring easier, and I think are more likely to continue with their
normal daily activities, compared to wearing a ambulatory monitor.

The key benfit from the patients perspective, appears to be, that
home monitoring rsults in less intensive medication.

Competing interests:
JP works a a GP under a nGMS contract, and reducing BP readings helps his Quality and Outcome framework payments

Competing interests: No competing interests

17 July 2004
Julian D Povey
GP principal
Pontesbury Medical Practice, Pontesbury, Shropshire, SY5 0RF