Chart 3.5. – Advantages and disadvantages of out-of-office blood pressure measurement.

• Greater number of measurements • Reflects usual activities of patients • May identify white-coat HT and masked HT • Greater patient engagement with diagnosis and follow-up
ABPM	HBPM
• Night readings • Allows measurement in real-life conditions • Use in patients with cognitive impairments and in rare cases of obsessive behavior • Allows short-term assessment of BP variability • More robust prognostic evidence	• Low cost and widely available • Measurement at home may be more relaxed than at the physician's office • Allows assessment of day-to-day BP variability • Patient engagement in BP measurement • Higher adherence to treatment
• High cost • Potentially limited availability • May be uncomfortable	• Only BP at rest • Potential measurement error • No night reading

ABPM: ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; BP: blood pressure; HBPM: home blood pressure monitoring; HT: hypertension.