The Pros and Cons of Using Digital Blood Pressure Monitors

Blood pressure is an important factor for people to know, as this determines if you are experiencing hypertension or hypotension, which are two conditions that shouldn’t be taken lightly and should be treated as quickly as possible. When you have high blood pressure (hypertension) or low blood pressure (hypotension), there may sometimes be an underlying disease that causes these two conditions to happen, so knowing your blood pressure is essential, especially if you are feeling pain or discomfort in your chest or other parts of your body.

Fortunately, determining a person’s blood pressure is easy in today’s era thanks to digital blood pressure monitors. Instead of the usual physical gauge that shows you the blood pressure, the digital blood pressure monitor has an LCD screen that shows precise measurements that are easier to read. Because of how easy digital blood pressure monitors are to use, they are becoming more and more popular over the years. However, these monitors also have their own drawbacks. To know more, here are the pros and cons of using digital blood pressure monitors.

The Pros of Digital Blood Pressure Monitors

Digital blood pressure monitors are popular today because of several reasons, and these reasons are connected to the benefits and advantages that they have over other types of monitors. Here are the pros of digital blood pressure monitors that you should know about if you are thinking of buying one for home use.

Easy to Use

digital blood pressure monitor that is easy to use

A big reason why digital blood pressure monitors have been abundant in recent years is their simplicity, as they are very easy and convenient to use by nurses and even by regular people. All you have to do to check the blood pressure of a person is to press the “Start” button on the device while the arm cuff is strapped to the arm of the patient. Then, the device will automatically pump air into the cuff to track blood pressure, and the results will be shown on the device’s LCD screen.

Simple to Get Readings

If you are having a difficult time reading blood pressure on a circular gauge or meter, then you won’t experience the same problem with digital blood pressure monitors. These digital monitors have an LCD screen that will already tell you the numbers you need to know.

The numbers that are shown on the LCD screen include the systolic pressure, the diastole pressure, and the pulse pressure. These three types of pressure can be very difficult to read on a regular blood pressure monitor, especially if you are not a nurse. To calculate blood pressure as a person that doesn’t have a medical background, you should get the diastole and systolic pressure shown on the monitor and input it on Google. From there, you will quickly learn if the blood pressure is normal, low, or high.

Relatively Fast Reading Rate

pushing a button on a digital blood pressure monitor

Another benefit of digital blood pressure monitors is their speed, as they will be able to tell the blood pressure of a person in just a few seconds. When you combine this benefit with how easy it is to read the diastole and systolic pressures shown on the screen, the digital blood pressure monitor can be considered a faster device compared to regular blood pressure monitors, which could often take a few minutes before you or a nurse can get readings.

Can Remember Previous Results

What’s also great about digital blood pressure monitors is that some of them can remember previous results. These digital monitors have memory and storage capabilities that can help them memorize or remember past readings. These past readings can then help in monitoring a person’s blood pressure on a daily basis. If his or her blood pressure gets worse over time, you will be able to know by getting past readings and comparing them to the current reading.

The Cons of Digital Blood Pressure Monitors

While digital blood pressure monitors have useful benefits, there are some aspects of these devices that can be disadvantageous to some people. Here is a list of cons when it comes to getting and using digital blood pressure monitors.

Pricey

elderly person using a digital blood pressure monitor

One con of digital blood pressure monitors is their price, as they are usually more expensive compared to regular monitors. The priciness of digital monitors is most likely attributed to their electronic parts, as these multiple parts that make the monitors work would be pretty expensive when you add all of their prices. So, if you need a digital blood pressure monitor at home, you would need to prepare a bigger budget.

May Not Be as Accurate

Another drawback of using digital blood pressure monitors is their accuracy, as digital monitors tend not to be as accurate as regular or classic blood pressure monitors. The device’s inaccuracy is mainly stemmed from the multiple parts involved in its tracking process, as some of these small parts can often fail or make an error during the said process.

However, regular blood pressure monitors can also get inaccurate readings from time to time, as it is very difficult to track and read blood pressure for some people. So, the less accurate digital monitor would still be sufficient if you just want to get fast readings that are close to your actual blood pressure.

These are the pros and cons of digital blood pressure monitors. Through this article, we hope that you will have a better idea of whether or not digital blood pressure monitors are suitable for you.