Table 1.

Types of office blood pressure measurement

Sources of error	I. Auscultatory clinical practice	II. Automated attended clinical practice	III. Auscultatory or automated research setting	IV. Automated unattended clinical practice
Standardization	−	+	+++	+++
Resting period	Inconsistent	Inconsistent	Yes	Yes
Devices maintenance and accuracy	Variable	Usually ok	Good	Usually ok
Cuff sizes	1‐2	1‐2	3+	2+
Talking during resting and between readings	Common	Common	No	No
Observer error, bias, terminal digit preference	Yes	No	No	No
Number of readings	1‐2	1‐3	2‐3	3‐6
Hypertension threshold (mmHg)	Significantly higher than 140/90	Equal or higher than 140/90	Equal or lower than 140/90	Equal or lower than 135/85
Time required	1′‐5′	1′‐5′	~10′	~10′
Applicability for general practice	Yes	Yes	Not possible	Not for all practices (requires device, office space, time)
Outcome data	No	Strong	Strong	Few