The most useful home tests are those used to monitor chronic conditions that can vary from day to day or may be difficult to measure in the office. They can give you immediate feedback so you can make minor treatment adjustments, if necessary.
People with diabetes, for example, can modify their insulin dose as their blood-glucose levels fluctuate. Similarly, patients in one study who used anticlotting drugs such as warfarin (Coumadin and generic) were less likely to have major complications if they monitored their blood coagulation at home. And Curtis is encouraged when her patients with hypertension take home measurements, since that provides "valuable information about their blood pressure in the context of their everyday life," she says, not just at the doctor's office.
But it's smart to talk with your health-care provider before embarking on home monitoring. He or she can give you tips on when and how to take the tests and how to interpret the results. And not everyone with high blood pressure or diabetes needs home monitoring. For example, recent research suggests that people with diabetes who don't require multiple insulin injections and have reasonable control of the disease don't get much added benefit from frequent home testing. And for some, the needle pricks and tracking contribute to anxiety and depression.
If you decide to invest in a home blood pressure or blood-glucose monitor, keep in mind that the devices vary widely in price and accuracy. A ConsumerReportsHealth.org report found that automatic arm-type blood-pressure monitors tend to be more expensive but also more accurate than wrist monitors. But cost doesn't necessarily indicate quality. At only $20, the highest-rated blood-glucose meter, the OneTouch UltraMini, was also one of the least expensive.
While high cholesterol is also a chronic problem, cholesterol testing at home is rarely worthwhile. Cholesterol levels don't change much from day to day, and thus don't require frequent changes in drug dosages. Moreover, some home tests measure only total cholesterol, not the breakdown of LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol.
Getting your cholesterol levels monitored by your doctor is a better bet, as the test is likely to be simpler, neater, and less painful than those designed for home use—and more likely to be covered by insurance.
