[General practice and home blood pressure measurement with fully automated device in long-term comparison]

In this prospective cohort study on 43 patients, the blood pressure patterns measured fully automatically in the doctor's practice and at home were compared over an average period of eight months. In total, a highly significant correlation was found between professional and patient measurements for both systolic and diastolic values. However, over the entire study period, the values obtained in the doctor's practice were higher than the patient's measurements (systolic +17 mmHg, diastolic +9 mmHg). The values obtained in the practitioner's office exhibited a much greater fluctuation than the patient's measurements. The majority of the values measured in the practice were above the mean of the home measurements (65% systolic and 67% diastolic). On therapy, 28 percent of the patients showing hypertensive values in the practice measured normal pressures at home. In conclusion, the study shows a minor fluctuation and a better reproducibility of the patient's own measurements versus those taken in the practitioner's office.