Table 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of automated and manual methods used to measure blood pressure

Automated/oscillometric	Manual
• Pros	• Pros
– Ease of use	– Most accurate
– Good for screening – Home use	– Good for confirming hypertension
– Infants/small children	• Cons
– Repeated measures	– Observer error
– Not affected by cuff placement	– Noise interference
– Wrist cuff available	– Motion interference
• Cons – Measures mean arterial pressure then calculates systolic and diastolic blood pressure	– Difficult in infants/small children – Mercury: environmental hazard
– Manufacturer variability – Vibrations	– Aneroid: loses accuracy over time