Studies show the benefits of self-measurement

Self measurement at the wrist

Our service Tensana is used to record and manage the blood pressure readings you take at home or on the go. These can be sent to your treating physician in a processed form via a PDF report.

Several studies demonstrate how valuable the readings you take and our service are for adjusting and monitoring high blood pressure. Including home measurements in treatment decisions makes those decisions easier and allows for more tailored prescriptions. It also usually helps reach the target blood pressure faster.

The importance of good blood pressure control is clear given the risk of complications such as heart attack and stroke, to name just two. Unfortunately, worldwide only about 30 percent of people with known hypertension have good blood pressure control. In Germany the rate is sadly even lower.

1. American study from 2022

Dr. Beverly Green from the Washington Permanente Medical Group in Seattle and her team compared readings taken in clinics with readings taken at home and at blood pressure monitoring stations such as those in pharmacies. All participants also underwent 24-hour monitoring for comparison. The study included 500 patients.

The results showed that readings in clinics were slightly too low and those from monitoring stations tended to be slightly too high. Home measurements performed best. They were taken as recommended in the hypertension society's guidelines and as instructed by the Tensana app.

2. Study from the Nephrology Center Göttingen

A study from the Nephrology Center Göttingen showed a significant improvement in blood pressure control when telemetric technology was used compared with care in a specialist hypertension clinic, which also has high success rates. For the study, some patients were equipped with a telemetry unit (blood pressure monitor and Bluetooth-capable mobile phone) and were asked to measure and record their blood pressure in the morning. However, not all measured values were transmitted, only those above a pre-set alarm threshold. These alarm rules were developed specifically for this study and represent a worldwide innovation.

Blood pressure was checked with 24-hour monitoring at the start and at the end of the study after three months. The target blood pressure was reached in 54 percent of the telemetry group during this period. In comparison, only 35 percent of the control group achieved this.

Study leader Dr. Egbert Schulz attributes this success, besides better treatment adherence, primarily to the optimized therapy made possible by Blutdruckdaten that the patient measures reliably and that are automatically transmitted to the medical practice.

3. English study published in February 2018

Self- measurement on the upper arm

An English study with nearly 1,200 participants also demonstrated the benefit of home self-measurement (especially with telemetric data transmission as is possible with Tensana).

The study was designed to run for twelve months. Participants were divided into three groups.

One group - the control group - had their blood pressure checked only at the doctor's office as before. Another group - the intervention group - measured their blood pressure at home morning and evening with a suitable device and gave the data to their GP at the end of each week. The third group - the telemetry group - also performed self-measurements at home. In addition, the data were sent to the GP in processed form by telemetry or SMS (similar to the PDF report from Tensana). The GP was instructed to check the readings monthly. The system also raised an alarm if blood pressure readings were missing or extreme.

At the end of the study period, the systolic blood pressure of participants who measured their blood pressure at home was significantly lower than that of those whose blood pressure was only monitored in the clinic.

The telemetry group achieved the greatest success. The blood pressure reduction in the telemonitoring group was slightly larger than in the intervention group. Most importantly, it was achieved earlier than in the comparison groups. Compared with the control group-that is, those whose blood pressure was measured only at the doctor's office-the clear benefit was already evident after six months.

Here too, the key factor was seen as better adjustment of the medication dose or combination. This is partly possible because home self-measurements eliminate, for example, the white-coat effect that occurs in the doctor's office. This effect, caused by (possibly unconscious) tension in the doctor's office, leads to higher readings there than in everyday life. For this reason, according to the researchers who conducted the study, target blood pressure values for home self-measurements should be set 5 mmHg lower than those used in the doctor's office.

4. American pilot study

In this study, 2,550 subjects were given home blood pressure monitors. Up to that point they had persistent (= not adequately controlled) high blood pressure. For the study they monitored their blood pressure themselves in daily life in addition to regular doctor visits. Their measured values were transmitted online or in printed form to the treating physicians. These physicians were involved in the study and knew that participants had received a home device and had been trained in its use. By the third clinic visit, 67 percent of participants had managed to get their blood pressure under control. By the sixth visit that number had fallen to 60 percent. This is because some participants had reached their target blood pressure early after home measurements were included in treatment decisions. Medication was therefore quickly adjusted successfully, so that clinic visits could be reduced or omitted.

After six months, almost 80 percent of all participants had reached their target blood pressure. According to the strict guidelines of the American Heart Association (AHA), blood pressure was well controlled in 72 percent of participants at the end of the six months. On average systolic blood pressure fell by 16.9 mmHg and diastolic by 6.5 mmHg. Self-monitoring saved each participant on average one to two doctor visits per year.

5. Meta-analysis of 52 studies on this topic

Evaluation of self- measurements using an app

The results of a meta-analysis were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. For this analysis, the researchers examined a total of 52 prospective comparative studies on antihypertensive therapy. Conventional treatment of high blood pressure, with no further monitoring, was compared with therapy supported by self-measurements. Some of the participants received support in the form of counseling, training, or instruction.

After six months, the self-measurement group showed a significant improvement in blood pressure compared with the conventionally treated group. Unfortunately, this advantage was less clear after twelve months. However, if participants who measured their blood pressure themselves in everyday life also received support as described above, the significant benefit remained even after twelve months.

All in all, this meta-analysis also demonstrates the benefit of measuring your blood pressure yourself. The risk of over- or underdosing medication is reduced, and the trend curve provided by regular measurements allows the doctor to tailor the medication more closely to the individual.

6. Japanese study from November 2022

A study published in Hypertension in February 2023 compared the predictive value for cardiovascular disease of 24-hour monitoring and regular home blood pressure measurements in the morning and evening. It showed that regular home measurements could represent the risk of cardiovascular disease slightly better than long-term monitoring.

These studies make clear how much patients can do themselves to enable treatment to be adjusted as effectively as possible. Self-measurement is an important tool for adjusting and monitoring high blood pressure. The benefit is further increased by telemetric transmission of the readings, as is possible with Tensana. An increase or an excessive drop in blood pressure can thus be detected very quickly and the medication dose adjusted.

7. Swedish study published in July 2023

In this study, researchers had over 5000 participants measure their blood pressure at home three times each morning and evening for one week. It was especially important that the same device was used in the study as was used to measure blood pressure in the clinic. Masked hypertension was found in one out of every 20 participants. Other risk factors for cardiovascular disease examined in this study, such as elevated fasting blood glucose, lower HDL cholesterol, and certain inflammatory markers, were also detectable in these participants. The researchers conclude that blood pressure values measured at home are a better indicator of the risk of cardiovascular disease than values measured in the clinic.

8. Study on visit-to-visit variability

A study published in March 2023 looks at the impact of blood pressure fluctuations between doctor visits. In English this is called visit-to-visit variability, or VVV for short. It describes how much blood pressure can vary between two doctor visits. These natural fluctuations make it harder to judge the effect of medications or other measures. The study examined 537,218 patients with 7,721,864 measurements. It concludes that four clinic visits would be needed to detect that a medication that lowers blood pressure by 10 mmHg is actually effective.

Our recommendation

Correct measurement is very important for good blood pressure control. Our app Tensana helps with that. Clear instructions guide you through guideline-compliant measurement. The app can also remind you if you wish. These features are fully available in the free version as well.

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Sources:

This article is from Tensana – the leading app since 2011, helping hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 02/2026).

Author Horst Klier has been closely involved with high blood pressure since 2002 – initially because he was personally affected and, since 2009, as the developer of Tensana – and is now regarded as a recognized blood pressure expert thanks to his app and specialist platform, used millions of times, as well as his numerous publications. As the author of several health guides and specialist articles, he communicates complex knowledge in a clear and practical way.