Maybe the most critical feature of a home blood pressure monitor is its accuracy. What good is a home monitor if its not measuring your blood pressure accurately. If you currently own or looking to purchase a new monitor, you might want the answer to, how good is the Welch Allyn 1700 accuracy?
The Welch Allyn 1700 accuracy was shown to be more accurate than five other home monitors in a study published in 2016. The monitors were analyzed on accuracy of readings and number of readings collected without error. Another study published in 2019 showed the Welch Allyn 1700 was accurate during patient motion. It’s SureBp technology and range of cuff sizes helps increase accuracy.
This blog post will explain these studies more in detail which explains the Welch Allyn 1700 accuracy. In addition, I’ll inform you of my first hand personal experiences with the monitor when I bring it to my physician for accuracy comparisons to their BP measurements.
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Welch Allyn 1700 Accuracy
Welch Allyn Accuracy at the Physician
I bought my Welch Allyn 1700 Series Home Blood Pressure monitor about 3.5 years ago. I immediately took it with me to a physician’s office to have it checked for accuracy. The measurement was within 1 mmHg of their reading which was conducted with their typical sphygmomanometer device.
At the time, I was employed at a medical center and didn’t have to wait long to bring it back and have it retested. I’ve taken it with me at least once a year, and it compared accurately every time similar to when it was new.
If you’re interested in checking out my detailed review of the monitor, you can read it right here, Welch Allyn Home 1700 Series Blood Pressure Monitor Review.
Disclaimer: Some links in this article are affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate and eBay partner I earn from qualifying purchases.
Check Price on Amazon Check Price or compare price on Ebay Check Price If the 1700 is unavailable on Amazon you can probably find it on Ebay.
2016 Study Testing The Welch Allyn Accuracy
Home monitors suffer from inaccuracies but situations like patient movement can make measurements more inaccurate. This study compared six monitors used by 93 people under two conditions 1. The first being under no-motion conditions and the second had the patient flexing their forearm every five seconds.
Besides the Welch Allyn the following monitors were used in the study:
- Omron 10 Series
- CVS Professional Blood Pressure Monitor
- iHealth BP5
- A&D UA-767
- Foracare Fora P20B
Data was collected on the following:
- Accuracy of readings.
- The number of readings completed without error.
- The time it took to complete a reading under no-motion and motion conditions.
The following results were observed:
- The Welch Allyn captured the most readings without error under conditions of motion. The Welch Allyn had a 97% success rate while the others failed more than 50% of the time.
- The Welch Allyn was the most accurate device under conditions of motion with an average error of 4 mmHg. The other monitors had errors of 7 mmHg or more, some over 12 mmHg.
- The Welch Allyn measured blood pressure in about 20 seconds, making it the fastest monitor in the study.
2019 Study Testing The Welch Allyn 1700 Accuracy
This study also evaluated movement during the blood pressure measurement 2. Some elderly, or even children, have a difficult time sitting still. For some, it may be related to certain diseases which cause body tremors.
85 patients were tested, and a simulator was used to simulate typical body tremors of people with certain medical conditions. The blood pressure measurements with tremors were performed at low, normal and high blood pressure simulations.
The researchers found the Welch Allyn 1700 to be accurate during all three conditions with tremors 3. Diastolic differed between .60 and 4 mmHg. Systolic differed between 1.4 and 2.8 mmHg.
Welch Allyn SureBP Technology Increases Accuracy
Welch Allyn monitors, including the 1700, have SureBp technology. It’s the same technology used in their hospital grade products.
I’m unsure if you’ve ever noticed the blood pressure equipment at you doctor’s office. Most of the time, you’ll see they use Welch Allyn, not only for blood pressure, but other devices found in hospitals.
This technology enables the monitor to compensate for factors affecting the accuracy of the blood pressure measurement. In addition, the technology makes the measurement more comfortable. More comfort translates to more accurate measurements.
The Welch Allyn measures blood pressure in about 20 seconds which is the fastest of any other home blood pressure monitor. The Omron 10 series takes about twice as long. The longer measurements can result in more issues which can affect accuracy like:
- Body movement
- Uncomfortable inflation squeezing the upper arm for longer.
- More annoyance to an elderly, frail person.
The 1700 is able to measure blood pressure so fast because it captures blood pressure during inflation.
Accuracy is one of 18 topics discussed in my article about home monitors. Check out the other topics in the article and learn more by clicking here, Home Blood Pressure Monitors – Things To Know.
Welch Allyn 1700 Cuff Sizes Improve Accuracy
The 1700 has three cuff sizes available, extra small, standard and extra large. The three cuff sizes give the 1700 the largest cuff size range available, 5.90″ to 21.25″. Why does this matter? The more sizes available means a person can have the correct size cuff for their arm.
A cuff, either too small or too large, will cause inaccurate measurements 4. Having a greater chance of measuring with the correct size cuff increases the chances of more accurate readings.
Check Price on Amazon Check Price or compare price on Ebay Check Price If the 1700 is unavailable on Amazon you can probably find it on Ebay.
Don’t forget to check out my Welch Allyn 1700 Review
Welch Allyn Home 1700 Series Blood Pressure Monitor Review
Read Next – More Home BP Monitor Articles!
Home Blood Pressure Monitors For Large Arms
The Most Accurate Blood Pressure Monitor For Home Use
How To Use A Home Blood Pressure Monitor The Right Way
Omron Gold Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor Review
- Welch Allyn: Home Blood Pressure Monitor Motion Tolerance Clinical Study – Research Summary[↩]
- Blood Pressure Monitoring: Validation of the Welch Allyn Home blood pressure monitor with professional SureBP algorithm with a special feature of accuracy during involuntary (tremor) patient movement[↩]
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Validation of the Welch Allyn Home blood pressure monitor with professional SureBP algorithm with a special feature of accuracy during involuntary (tremor) patient movement[↩]
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Blood pressure measurement[↩]
