Unlike ECG monitoring equipment in hospitals, heart rate monitors that you recommend to your patients must be portable and easy to use. Some consist of a chest strap and watch, and others are strapless. Some have heart sensors built into the fabric of sports clothing. The simplest heart rate monitor measures a patient's heart rate in real time. Explain to patients that the higher their heart rate, the higher the rate at which blood is pumped by the heart. Home blood pressure monitoring several times a day helps to give you true and accurate values of their cardiac cycle.

If you're considering heart monitoring equipment as a part of your patients' heart health care then you'll want to give them an active part in the decision-making process. Consider the following:

1. Determine what type of heart rate monitor is best for your patient and compare brands and features.

2. Encourage your patients to use a blood pressure monitor at home as a part of their cardiac health regimen.

3. Consider monitoring your patients' heart health daily with a personal ECG device. This system can give you a much more concise assessment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Help your patient choose the heart rate monitor that's most appropriate for their needs

Some brands promote their products as tools for rehab and cardiac care as well as for sports training. Monitors specifically for cardiac care are simple to operate and less expensive. Most of the heart monitoring equipment geared for sports training is fancy and has more features than your patients actually need.

I recommend: HealthCheck Systems, Inc. offers a complete line of name-brand heart rate monitors and free shipping. Bodytronics offers top heart rate monitor brands such as Polar Reebok, Timex and more. Pro-Med Products and Allegro Medical Supplies, Inc. offer a wide variety of medical monitoring supplies at low prices.

Advise patients to use blood pressure monitors at home as a part of their heart health care

When your patients take their blood pressure several times a day and record it, you're able to analyze their heart health and prescribe or adjust medication accordingly. Heart monitoring equipment suppliers offer a wide variety of blood pressure devices, both digital and manual.

I recommend: HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com offers an extensive line of blood pressure devices and medical monitoring equipment. Review a comparison chart on price activity, manufacturer and type. A&D Medical/LifeSource also offers a lifetime warranty and excellent customer support. Omron Healthcare, Inc. was the first manufacturer to introduce manual and digital blood pressure units to the home healthcare market. Every Omron blood pressure model is tested to meet the rigorous accuracy standards set by independent organizations.

Prescribe personal ECG heart monitoring equipment for a more concise measurement

Personal ECG medical monitors allow patients to conduct their normal lives while they record the heartbeat parameters for you to analyze later. Better monitoring reveals trends in heart health and helps you detect cardiovascular diseases at an earlier stage, which means more treatment options are available.

I recommend: Healiohealth.com offers personal ECG patient monitors that allow patients to record their heart's electrical activity in just 25 seconds. It's about the size of an iPhone. Dms-service provides a two-year warranty on four different models of Holter Recorders. Philips Telehealth Solutions allows you to monitor patients' data and then send them short subjective responses. This helps prevent unnecessary hospitalizations. The Heartline ECG Monitoring from Aerotel Medical Systems, Ltd. is designed for various diagnostic, emergency and monitoring service applications. The recorded ECG signals transmit through the telephone, the Internet or mobile phone to a medical center for analysis.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Your patients run the risk of buying refurbished heart rate monitors if they make purchases from unauthorized resellers. Let them know that these heart rate monitors will not be under warranty.