Lancet Commission on Hypertension group position statement on the global improvement of accuracy standards for devices that measure blood pressure

Abstract

Having considered the report on health technologies; 2 Recognizing that health technologies equip health-care providers with tools that are indispensable for effective and efficient prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation and attainment of internationally agreed health-related development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration; Understanding that health technologies, in particular medical devices, represent an economic as well as a technical challenge to the health systems of many Member States, and concerned about the waste of resources resulting from inappropriate investments in health technologies, in particular medical devices, that do not meet high-priority needs, are incompatible with existing infrastructures, are irrationally or incorrectly used, or do not function efficiently;

Treatment of the hypertensive patient in 2030

“…The Lancet Commission on Hypertension have outlined how all stakeholders; from patients to governments and journal reviewers can help achieve this. An advisory group will help to implement this aim in alignment with the World Health Organisation’s policy to improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment of hypertension, decreasing the disease burden worldwide [ 4 ]. Realistic recommendations, for example, promoting only the use of quality-assured trademarked devices, are achievable by 2030.…”

Blood pressure measurement device selection in low‐resource settings: Challenges, compromises, and routes to progress

“…Device validation refers to rigorous, objective clinical testing of a device against a gold standard to determine accuracy. Validation should be done by an independent organization, such as a testing laboratory or academic institution with publicly available protocols, rather than by the manufacturer itself 13 . Validation protocols require that devices be tested on a predetermined number of individuals meeting age, sex, arm circumference, and BP requirements.…”

Brief online certification course for measuring blood pressure with an automated blood pressure device. A free new resource to support World Hypertension Day Oct 17, 2020

“…Hypertension, the clinical manifestation of increased BP, is both preventable and treatable 1 . A major impediment to the clinical management (diagnosis, treatment, and follow‐up) of hypertension is inaccurate BP assessment 2‐8 . This is primarily a result of lack of training or lack of compliance in measuring BP properly, performing measurement in inappropriate environments, inadequate preparation of the person whose BP is being measured, and inaccurate or inappropriate (unvalidated) equipment 2‐8 .…”