O29 LACK OF VALIDATED BLOOD PRESSURE DEVICES FOR USE IN PREGNANCY AVAILABLE FROM AUSTRALIAN PHARMACIES

Background and objective. Self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) at home can aid in the management of hypertension, including during pregnancy. Only 20% of home BP devices have been validated for the general population. However, specific accuracy validation in pregnant women is required for use among this population. The availability of home BP devices that have been validated for use in pregnant women is unknown, which was the aim of this study. Secondary aims were to assess device cost and claims regarding use in pregnancy. Methods. A search of pharmacies with physical and online stores in Australia that sell upper-arm cuff home BP devices was conducted. Validation status in pregnant women was determined by checking model numbers on the STRIDE-BP website. Cost of device and claims about the devices’ use in pregnancy were extracted from instruction manuals and information on the pharmacy webpage. Results. Eighteen pharmacies and 40 unique home BP devices were identified. Four (10%) devices were validated for use in pregnancy, and these were more expensive than other devices (Table). Fifteen devices listed a caution warning to seek healthcare provider advice before use if pregnant, including all four that had been validated for pregnancy. Concerningly, information about four devices stated they were recommended for pregnancy, although evidence of validation was not found on STRIDE-BP. Information about one device stated it had not been tested on pregnant women and was not suitable for use, although this information was only available in the device manual and not point-of-sale. Nineteen devices had no mention of pregnancy at all. Conclusion. Very few home BP devices available from Australian pharmacies are specifically validated for use in pregnancy, are priced higher than non-validated devices and do not effectively target their intended users. To guarantee that only validated home BP devices are used in pregnancy increased awareness is urgently needed and could be assisted by clear labelling on devices provided at the point-of-sale instore or online. Table. Home BP devices sold in 18 Australian pharmacies. BP: blood pressure. Cost displayed in Australian dollars (AUD). The percentages add to more than 100% because some devices validated in the general population were also validated for pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.