Tag: TM-2657P

Save time and money one measurement at a time

At around £1,500.00 is the A&D TM-2657P waiting room blood pressure still worth the money?

Self patient blood pressure measurement devices like the A&D TM-2657P are not new and there are now several hundred in use in the UK since they were first introduced by PMS Instruments 17 years ago in 2002.

Sited in the waiting room, for many Practices they are an integral part of their long term medical conditions clinics allowing them to work smarter, not harder, whilst helping patients take ownership of their conditions and play a more active role in their treatment.

A number of GP practices have adapted established protocols whereby patients pass their blood pressure results to the reception team and are then advised as to whether there is a need for further clinical follow up.

The protocol needs to be easy to follow and comprehensive to ensure that the receptionist is taking no responsibility for a clinical decision. When implemented correctly, after suitable training the process works very well.

Why is all this relevant to Primary Care and the NHS?

When this type of service is introduced anecdotal evidence from PMS Instruments GP customers suggests that waiting room BP monitors are used by up to 240 patients every month and only 80 of them require any further intervention. This represents a potential “saving” of over 160 face to face GP clinical appointments. 

Let’s do some maths!

According to NHS England, the average GP appointment costs £30 so in the example above that’s a saving of £4800 to the NHS every month.

So the payback period in terms of time saved and the initial £1500 cost of the monitor is established but what are the other benefits?

It’s about time.

According to a report published in Pulse in August 2019, over half of GPs have said the average waiting time for non-urgent appointments at their practice is now over two weeks.

Anything that can help reduce this must be a good thing and waiting room blood pressure monitors like the TM-2657P can.  

With the protocol above Doctors and nurses who want to monitor a patient’s blood pressure ask the patient to use the waiting room BP monitor and they only need to see a Doctor if their readings move out of an agreed range. Patients can do this at any time the practice is open freeing up valuable appointment time.

Nurses who run chronic disease clinics can also ask patients to monitor their blood pressure before coming to their clinic. Apart from saving nursing time it gives an immediate focus to the consultation.

Public Health England and NHS England have agreed ambitions and a goal over a 10 year period to improve the detection and treatment of high blood pressure with the following targets

  • 80% of the expected number of people with high BP are diagnosed by 2029
  • 80% of the total number of people diagnosed with high BP are treated to target as per NICE guidelines by 2029

How do we achieve these objectives when Primary Care is already overstretched?

In this instance the technology, in the form of waiting room BP monitors, already exists we just need to encourage wider adoption and not be afraid to adopt new approaches.

Time is money as the saying goes and the A&D TM-2657P saves time and money one measurement at a time.

Why Buy A Clinically Validated Blood Pressure Monitor?

The sales team at PMS often get asked the same questions from customers wanting to purchase a blood pressure monitor. Questions like which one would you recommend and which is the best one we sell will depend on the features a user is looking for and their budget.

One question we are always happy to answer is “What does clinical validation mean?”

Many customers are familiar with the CE mark on consumer electrical items.

Medical devices like blood pressure monitors must also have a CE mark by law. The CE mark means that, provided you use it correctly, the device will work properly and is safe but doesn’t mean it will necessarily give accurate readings or that it is clinically validated.

Whether you are going to record your blood pressure at home or in a clinical setting surely accuracy is the whole point of buying a monitor in the first place!

When a manufacturer like Meditech or A&D Medical state their product is “clinically validated” it means an independent validation of the device has been performed by a professional group

The most common validation protocols are the British and Irish Hypertension Society (BIHS), formerly British Hypertension Society, the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol (ESH-IP), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).

While each of the protocols may have many similarities, there are some differences in their testing requirements. In many cases, however, a product that passes one protocol may also satisfy the criteria of other protocols as well. Recently, the AAMI, ESH, and ISO experts agreed to develop a single universally acceptable standard (AAMI/ESH/ISO), which will replace all previous protocols.

Often, the clinical validation report is published in a peer-reviewed journal like Blood Pressure Monitoring.  Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is essential because of the rigorous review processes a clinical validation must go through to make sure there are no protocol violations and the chosen validation protocol has been adhered to.

The time and conditions demanded by the various protocols are extremely difficult to fulfil as a large number of subjects have to be recruited, a wide range of blood pressures are required and it can be difficult to recruit skilled staff . They can also be expensive.

There is a great overview of the detailed process involved from the Working Group on Blood Pressure Monitoring of the European Society of Hypertension here.

For these reasons not every blood pressure manufacturer will conduct a clinical validation.

PMS Instruments only distribute blood pressure monitors from manufacturers that do. Clinical validation provides so much more than a CE mark!

Whether you are a healthcare professional, or someone looking to keep a check on their blood pressure at home a clinically validated blood pressure monitor from Meditech or A&D Medical gives you the confidence to know you’re using a reliable, accurate device to make a clinical decision.

A&D Medical clinical validation studies

Validation of the A&D UM-211 device for office blood pressure measurement according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010
Fania, Claudio; Albertini, Federica; Palatini, Paolo
Blood Pressure Monitoring, October 2017,22(5):302-305

Validation of the A&D UM-201 device for office blood pressure measurement according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol Revision 2010
Fania, Claudio; Albertini, Federica; Palatini, Paolo
Blood Pressure Monitoring, August 2017,22(4):234-237

Validation of the fully automated A&D TM-2656 blood pressure monitor according to the British Hypertension Society Protocol (equivalent to TM-2657P)
Zeng, Wei-Fang; Liu, Ming; Kang, Yuan-Yuan; Li, Yan; Wang, Ji-Guang
Blood Pressure Monitoring, August 2013,18(4):223-226

Validation of the A&D BP UA-651 device with a wide-range cuff for home blood pressure measurement according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010
Benetti, Elisabetta; Fania, Claudio; Palatini, Paolo
Blood Pressure Monitoring, June 2015,20(3):164-167

Validation of the A&D BP UA-651 device for home blood pressure measurement according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol revision 2010
Benetti, Elisabetta; Fania, Claudio; Palatini, Paolo
Blood Pressure Monitoring, February 2014,19(1):50-53

Validation of the A&D UA-1020 upper-arm blood pressure monitor with six different-shaped or different-sized cuffs according to the British Hypertension Society protocol
Zeng, Wei-Fang; Kang, Yuan-Yuan; Liu, Ming; Li, Yan; Wang, Ji-Guang
Blood Pressure Monitoring, October 2013,18(5):272-277

Validation of the A&D UA-1020 upper-arm blood pressure monitor for home blood pressure monitoring according to the British Hypertension Society Protocol
Zeng, Wei-Fang; Kang, Yuan-Yuan; Liu, Ming; Li, Yan; Wang, Ji-Guang
Blood Pressure Monitoring, June 2013,18(3):177-181

Validation of A&D UA-778 blood pressure monitor in children
Narogan, Marina V.; Narogan, Marina I.; Syutkina, Elena V.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, October 2009,14(5):228-231

Validation of A&D UA-85X device for blood pressure measurement
Bonso, Elisa; Ragazzo, Fabio; Palatini, Paolo
Blood Pressure Monitoring, December 2008,13(6):339-341

Validation of A&D TM-2430 upper-arm blood pressure monitor for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in children and adolescents, according to the British Hypertension Society protocol
Yip, Gabriel Wai-Kwok; So, Hung-Kwan; Li, Albert Martin; Tomlinson, Brian; Wong, Sik-Nin; Sung, Rita Yn-Tz
Blood Pressure Monitoring, April 2012,17(2):76-79

Validation of the A&D UM-101 professional hybrid device for office blood pressure measurement according to the International Protocol
Stergiou, George S.; Giovas, Periklis P.; Gkinos, Charilaos P.; Tzamouranis, Dimitris G.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, February 2008,13(1):37-42

Meditech clinical studies

Reproducibility of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and measures of autonomic function
Morrin, Niamh M.; Stone, Mark R.; Henderson, Keiran J.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, June 2017,22(3):169-172
Brief Report

Obstructive sleep apnea increases systolic and diastolic blood pressure variability in hypertensive patients
Shi, Jing; Piao, Jingyan; Liu, Bin; Pan, Yujiao; Gong, Yongtai; Deng, Xianzhu; Sun, Weiyan; Lu, Shuang; Li, Yue
Blood Pressure Monitoring, August 2017,22(4):208-212
Clinical Methods and Pathophysiology

The influence of physical training status on postexercise hypotension in patients with hypertension: a cross-sectional study
Imazu, Alexandre A.; Goessler, Karla F.; Casonatto, Juliano; Polito, Marcos D.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, August 2017,22(4):196-201
Clinical Methods and Pathophysiology

Clinical practice of ambulatory versus home blood pressure monitoring in hypertensive patients
Paolasso, Jorge A.; Crespo, Florencia; Arias, Viviana; Moreyra, Eduardo A.; Volmaro, Ariel; Orías, Marcelo; Moreyra, Eduardo Jr
Blood Pressure Monitoring, December 2015,20(6):303-309
Clinical Methods and Pathophysiology

The association of night-time systolic blood pressure with ultrasound markers of subclinical cardiac and vascular disease
O’Flynn, Anne Marie; Ho, Emily; Dolan, Eamon; Curtin, Ronan J.; Kearney, Patricia M.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, February 2017,22(1):18-26
Clinical Methods and Pathophysiology

Myocardial ischemia during everyday life in patients with arterial hypertension: prevalence, risk factors, triggering mechanism and circadian variability
Uen, Sakir; Un, Ismail; Fimmers, Rolf; Vetter, Hans; Mengden, Thomas
Blood Pressure Monitoring, August 2006,11(4):173-182

Development of normative ambulatory blood pressure data in children: Marianne Soergel and the Arbeitsgruppe Pädiatrische Hypertonie
Blood Pressure Monitoring, June-August 1999,4(3):121-126

Making ambulatory blood pressure monitoring accessible in pharmacies
James, Kirstyn; Dolan, Eamon; O’Brien, Eoin
Blood Pressure Monitoring, June 2014,19(3):134-139

Simultaneous recording of blood pressure and ST-segment with combined, triggered ambulatory 24-h devices
Uen, Sakir; Vetter, Hans; Mengden, Thomas
Blood Pressure Monitoring, February 2003,8(1):41-44

Silent myocardial ischaemia in treated hypertensives with and without left ventricular hypertrophy
Stojanovic, Milos M.; O’Brien, Eoin; Lyons, Simon; Stanton, Alice V.
Blood Pressure Monitoring, February 2003,8(1):45-51

Are we doing enough to diagnose high blood pressure?

How often do you “Think BP”?

Did you know that in the UK alone, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), there are an estimated 7 million people with undiagnosed high Blood Pressure who don’t know they are at risk. Over 24% of people in England are estimated to have high Blood Pressure. At least half of all heart attacks and strokes are associated with high BP and it is a major risk factor for chronic kidney disease, heart failure and cognitive decline.

If these are the challenges facing Primary and Secondary Care the question is what can GP Practices, Hospitals and Clinical Commissioning Groups do to diagnose more patients with high blood pressure?

Can we do BP better and “Think BP”?

The BHF Guidance recommends key areas and stresses that clinicians should “Think BP” at every opportunity. I have separated their recommendations into a couple of key areas below where I think existing technology available from PMS Instruments could help.

Think BP in the Waiting Room— Consider giving patients access to a self-test blood pressure station in GP waiting rooms and Hospital Outpatient clinics. Professional, clinically validated monitors like the A&D Medical TM-2657P are designed for high volume use have been popular with GPs for many years and are now being used in Hospitals. They save both time and money in the long run and especially in a Hospital setting like a Renal Unit free up members of staff for other clinical duties.

Think BP during a consultation-Think BP and increase opportunistic screening in your GP Practice or Hospital. Make blood pressure testing routine for all patients attending clinics such as Renal, Sexual Health, Asthma, COPD, Diabetes, weight management, smoking cessation and other clinics. Patients can record their blood pressure in the GP or Hospital waiting room before they attend the clinic. The printed results can then be handed to the clinician during consultation saving time and staff resources.

For a trial, demonstration or to find out more about the TM-2657P call us today on 01628 773233.

Waiting Room Blood Pressure Monitors Rebooted

The TM-2657P is the latest waiting room blood pressure monitor from A&D Medical. It builds on the speed, reliability and accuracy of the previous TM-2655P, which it replaces, but now features a new ergonomic, modern, compact design.

The new integrated arm rest helps ensure the patient’s arm is comfortable and in the correct position during a measurement. A new antibacterial arm cuff cover is also now fitted as standard with the TM-2657P.

Designed and engineered in Japan, the new TM-2657P has a faster printout speed and offers added optional connectivity features including Bluetooth.

The “Torque Controlled Belt drive Method” (TCBM) cuff mechanism in the TM-2657P provides sophisticated automatic cuff size adjustment, ensuring the arm is positioned correctly for accurate high speed measurement, first time, every time.

With a centrally located simple one button operation, it can be used on children (13 years or above) and adults with either the left or right arm.

After the reading, the results are output to the inbuilt thermal printer with the date, time systolic, diastolic and pulse rate clearly displayed. New printing options also permit the inclusion of a barcode or QR code on the print out.

The printout will also display (if present) an irregular heartbeat symbol. An irregular heartbeat is defined as a heartbeat that varies by 25% from the average of all heartbeats during the blood pressure measurement.

Like the previous model, the TM-2657P looks set to be popular with GP Practices looking for a clinically validated, easy to use professional waiting room blood pressure monitor.