Proposals for simplifying the validation protocols of the British Hypertension Society and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.

Correspondence to Professor Eoin O’Brien, The Blood Pressure Unit, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. Tel : +353 1 809 21qO; fax: i-353 1 809 3005; e-mail: [email protected] Introduction Experience with the protocols of the British Hypertension Society (BHS) and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has provided valuable insight into the methodological problems associated with validation of devices [l-7]. The two protocols have many similarities but there are some important differences. These differences merit consideration in order to help manufacturers seeking to validate devices for acceptance both in Europe and in ‘the USA. One of the objectives of the working group of the European Society of Hypertension is to consider the possibility of having a common protocol, which would be accepted as the international standard for the validation of blood-pressure-measuring devices [S]. Such a protocol would be welcomed by manufacturers and by those involved in performing validation procedures. Representatives of the AAMI and BHS have met on a number of occasions to exchange views on the feasibility of producing a common protocol and both organizations are committed to producing a common simplified protocol.