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Lack of validated blood pressure devices for use in pregnancy available from Australian pharmacies

Slater, K.; Speer, H.; Chapman, N.; Picone, D. S.

2025-03-26 primary care research
10.1101/2025.03.25.25324644 medRxiv
Show abstract

Blood pressure monitoring is a critical aspect of prenatal care, as hypertension during pregnancy can lead to serious complications such as preeclampsia, eclampsia, and other hypertensive disorders. Automatic blood pressure devices are widely used for home monitoring due to their convenience and ease of use. Automatic blood pressure devices require additional accuracy validation before they are recommended for use in pregnancy. This study evaluated the availability of such devices from 18 Australian pharmacies. Only four devices (4/54, 7%) were validated for pregnancy and were more expensive than devices validated for the general population (14/54, 26%) and non-validated devices (40/54, 74%). Additionally, limited labelling and information was available to assist consumers to make informed purchasing decisions about home blood pressure devices for use in pregnancy. Increased availability, clear labelling and consumer education could help ensure use of appropriate blood pressure devices in pregnancy.

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