The Value in an Ambulatory Blood-Pressure Registry

Ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring provides the best confirmation of the presence of hypertension detected in the office setting. A systematic review sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that “evidence supports ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring as the reference standard for confirming elevated office blood pressure … to avoid misdiagnosis and overtreatment,” particularly for persons who have elevated blood pressure as measured in the office but normal ambulatory pressure (“white-coat” hypertension). 1 In 2011, the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended that providers obtain ambulatory blood-pressure data to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension (clinical guideline 127). Other medical . . .