High-quality automated blood pressure monitors have been shown to be valid. But I become concerned when I ask patients which blood pressure monitor they have at home, and they typically don’t know. Often, they seem to have purchased whatever was cheapest among the ones available at their local pharmacy.
My recommendation is that we should proactively guide our patients in purchasing an automated blood pressure monitor that has been shown to provide valid blood pressure measurements.
Best blood pressure monitors for use at home
If the patient can afford it (approximately $100), here is an excellent blood pressure monitor that would be my top choice: the Omron® Platinum Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor BP5465.
This blood pressure monitor has been shown to accurately measure blood pressure. And it has several useful features that patients may find helpful.
Average of three readings
– It automatically measures the blood pressure three times and displays the average of the three measurements. What this means is that the device inflates the cuff and measures the blood pressure, then deflates the cuff and measures the blood pressure again after a short interval, without the patient having to do anything.
– The average of two or three measurements of blood pressure is believed to be more valid than a single measurement.
Average of morning readings over multiple days
It can also display the average of all the morning readings taken over one week.
Display both the current and last readings
– It displays the current blood pressure reading as well as the most recent reading, making it easy to compare the readings.
Memory
– It stores previous blood pressure readings, the last 100 measurements.
– Also, it can store previous readings for two separate people. I think that if a person wants a device that stores previous blood pressure readings, this is a useful feature, since it is common for more than one person to use a device in a home.
– Also has a “Guest mode” so that others can use the device without screwing up the memory for the two primary users of the device.
Data transfer to a smartphone
It allows easy transfer of data to the patient’s smartphone by using a free app called the OMRON connect app.
Screening for atrial fibrillation
– It screens for atrial fibrillation automatically, every time the blood pressure is checked.
Disclosure: The link above is an Amazon affiliate link that supports us at no additional cost to the purchaser.
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References
Jones DW, Ferdinand KC, Taler SJ, Johnson HM, Shimbo D, Abdalla M, Altieri MM, Bansal N, Bello NA, Bress AP, Carter J, Cohen JB, Collins KJ, Commodore-Mensah Y, Davis LL, Egan B, Khan SS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Melnyk BM, Mistry EA, Ogunniyi MO, Schott SL, Smith SC Jr, Talbot AW, Vongpatanasin W, Watson KE, Whelton PK, Williamson JD. 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2025 Sep 16;152(11):e114-e218. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001356. Epub 2025 Aug 14. PMID: 40811497.
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