A computer-assisted diary (CAD) for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Methods for logging activities during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring are time consuming and poorly standardized. To overcome these problems we have developed a computer-assisted diary (CAD). The subject marks boxes on a computer-readable card to indicate the time, location, body position, activity, and mood associated with each blood pressure reading. Software implemented on a personal computer downloads the diary information from a card reader, checks its quality, scores the data, extracts quantitative critical features, and inserts the information into computer files ready for data analysis and clinical report writing. The diary system was tested on 24-hour blood pressure scans of 32 normotensive working adults. The results indicated that the automated diary system was accepted well and used accurately by the subjects. Activities and moods coded by the CAD system were systematically related to the level of systolic blood pressure. The method produced results that are similar to those of traditional diaries, with major time and cost savings resulting from computer automation. We have concluded that the computer-assisted diary is an effective way to monitor behavioral states during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring which merits further trial applications.