A Survey on Blood Pressure Measurement Technologies: Addressing Potential Sources of Bias

Blood pressure is a vital sign that offers important insights into overall health, particularly cardiovascular well-being. It plays a critical role in medical settings and homes for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management. Physicians heavily rely on blood pressure values for making crucial decisions. Most commercial devices utilize cuffs for blood pressure measurement, and automatic devices have gained popularity due to the high prevalence of hypertension. Self-measurement and home monitoring of blood pressure are also recommended. However, concerns arise regarding the accuracy of blood pressure measurement technologies and the alignment of reported values with actual values. People often adjust their medication based on these reported values, making accuracy vital. This study focuses on the concept of ``bias'' to highlight potential discrepancies between reported and actual blood pressure values. Previous research has identified biases originating from three categories: (1) blood pressure measurement devices, (2) subject-specific factors, and (3) measurement sessions. Specifically, this study examines biases associated with cuff-based blood pressure technologies due to their widespread use in medical applications and the growing trend of home monitoring. Identifying and addressing the primary sources of biases is crucial to prevent their propagation and mitigate potential consequences. Additionally, the study explores the future prospects of blood pressure monitoring using machine learning methods.