At NCOA, our mission is to improve the lives of older adults. One way we can that is by recommending resources that can help you live a healthier life. Home health devices, like home blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, continuous glucose monitors, and more, give you the important information you need to monitor and maintain your health.

We research home health devices to determine which ones can actually benefit older adults. We consult with physicians, nurses, and other health care providers to understand the home health monitoring devices they want their patients to use. Then, we start in-depth research for these devices, understanding their functionality, how they work, and what features are the most useful.

Next, we scour customer reviews, find the devices verified users love, learn where their pain points are, and find out what makes some devices stand out while others miss the mark. From there, we choose which devices meet enough criteria for testing.

How we rank and review blood pressure monitors

When it was time to select which blood pressure monitors to test and review, we focused on devices that inflate automatically and measure blood pressure using the upper arm (the American Heart Association states that wrist and fingertip devices provide less reliable readings. 

We ordered and tried eight of the top blood pressure monitors, comparing and scoring them on:

• Customer service (10% of score): Customer service is key to your experience with your blood pressure devices. Does the brand stand by its product with a warranty? Are they available if you have an issue or a question?
• Brand reliability (5% of score): We only recommend high-quality devices from companies that obtain the proper certifications for their blood pressure monitors and aren’t flash-in-the-pan brands that come and go on the market in just a few months.
• Features (25% of score): In our extensive research, we learn what features are critical to those using blood pressure monitors. Then, we evaluate and test to ensure those features perform how you want them to, like the usefulness of its mobile app.
• User experience (30% of score): We want to understand how easy it is to use your blood pressure monitor regularly. So we tested things like setting it up fresh out of the box, reading the device’s display, using its data storage, measurement tracking, and data sharing capabilities, and evaluating the monitor’s cuff fit, comfort, and size options.
• Affordability (30% of score): As part of our commitment to get products into the hands of older adults who need them, we recommend blood pressure monitors that are both high quality and affordable. We compare price and feature data to decide whether a blood pressure monitor’s price justifies its value.