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Conducted by the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, the studyanalysed the interpretation of numerous blood pressure readings taken over a24-hour period (known as 'Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement' or ABPM).
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It concluded that human observers bring an unacceptable degree ofvariance to interpretation of ABPM data. By removing the human error, thedabl decision support system (http://www.dabl.ie) prevents diagnostic errorsand greatly assists the quality of treatment decisions made by doctors.
The findings of the study are significant in view of the increasing useof ABPM in clinical practice to assess blood pressure control throughout theday and night in patients at risk of cardiovascular events.
It is estimated that high blood pressure is being misdiagnosed inapproximately 40% of all instances when measured with traditional singleclinic measurement. Its major disadvantage is that the limited number ofmeasurements bears no relationship to the variability of blood pressure overthe 24-hour period. ABPM, on the other hand, allows identification of anumber of patterns of blood pressure behaviour over the 24-hour period thatcannot be identified with any other measurement technique.
The dabl ABPM (http://www.dabl.ie/en/prod_abpm.aspx) system is the onlyABPM software program to provide an automatic interpretative analysis inaccordance with the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) guidelines. Oncethe blood pressure readings are uploaded the user-friendly dabl plot and textinterpretation are automatically generated. Used by many internationalcentres of excellence it has been extensively validated in numerousscientific studies over the past10 years.
Commenting on the study, Mr Bill Rickard, Managing Director of dabl said"it comes as no surprise that computers, in the correct environment, are moreefficient than humans at processing large volumes of raw data. This studyconfirms that dabl is an essential decision support tool for doctors which,will ensure accurate diagnosis, save valuable time and contribute to qualitydecision making".
"Not having to wade through pages of raw data will give doctors more timeto consider lifestyle and other factors that comprise the cardiovascularprofile and to recommend appropriate treatments which will help to improvepatient care and safety" stated Rickard.Notes to Editors: About the study - The study was conducted NHS Lothian, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh, UK. Experts in hypertension management and ABPM were asked to report on common 24-hr blood pressure patterns and their responses were then compared with the dabl ABPM system. - Incorrect diagnoses were made by the experts in 13 instances. White-coat hypertension and white-coat effect, although obvious in many instances, were not identified in five ABPMs; the severity of hypertension was not reported in four ABPMs; the severity of nocturnal hypertension was not diagnosed in one ABPM by nine experts and isolated diastolic hypertension was not identified by six experts in two ABPMs. In contrast, dabl accurately interpreted the BP pattern in all instances. - The findings were published in Blood Pressure Monitoring in June 2010. Full citation: Computerized reporting improves the clinical use of ambulatory blood pressure measurement, McGowan N, Atkins N, O'Brien E and Padfield P, Blood Pressure Monitoring 2010, Vol 15 No 3, Vol 15 No 3. About ABPM - Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a non invasive method of measuring blood pressure over a 24-hour period. Measurements are recorded in a device which is worn by the patient around their waist as they go about their daily activities. About dabl - dabl, which celebrates 10 years of business this year is an Irish Company that has developed a suite of an online expert chronic disease management systems in collaboration with a number of international centres of excellence. The Company is a unique partnership between experts in clinical practice and research, management techniques and technology. Media Contact: Paula O'Sullivan, dabl Ltd +353(0)1-2780247 http://www.dabl.ie
SOURCE dabl Ltd
