Go for follow-up checks at the interval your doctor sets, and record every result in the same notebook

Cost

Tens to hundreds of yuan per check. A trip to the hospital plus waiting for results takes some time. The hard part is that you have to go again and again, and it is easy to keep putting it off.

What you get

With a chronic illness, what you need to watch is how the numbers change over a period of time, and looking at one reading is not enough. For high blood pressure, one pooled analysis combined the raw data of 7,138 people in 15 randomized trials. Compared with people who got usual care, people who measured their own blood pressure at home had an average change in clinic systolic pressure of −3.2 mmHg after 12 months (95% CI −4.9 to −1.6, confidence range). Self-measurement alone, with no other measures, showed no clear effect: −1.0 mmHg (−3.3 to 1.2, the difference may be chance). With the most supporting measures, the drop was 6.1 mmHg (3.2 to 9.0). Supporting measures means that doctors, pharmacists or patients themselves adjust medicine according to the readings, together with health education and lifestyle guidance. The authors concluded that measuring on your own does not lower blood pressure; it helps only when paired with adjusting medicine according to the readings. These numbers are all blood pressure, not deaths directly. When you change hospitals, rules issued by four departments including the National Health Commission (国家卫健委) say that if the patient provides existing test results that meet the conditions for mutual recognition and satisfy the needs of care, the hospital and doctors may not repeat the tests. Reports that can be mutually recognized carry an "HR" mark, for example "全国HR" (nationwide).

Notes

Only rated B, because the direct evidence covers only one disease, high blood pressure, and the endpoint stops at blood pressure and does not reach death. No study was found that looked at health outcomes for "recording results in one notebook" itself. Record at least 4 things each time: the date, the value, the medicines you were taking, and their doses. Photographing the lab report with your phone also works, but keep everything in one place, not scattered. Mutual recognition has exceptions: if your condition has changed, the result changes fast, before surgery or a blood transfusion, or in an emergency rescue, the hospital may test again. For how to copy and keep your medical records and imaging, see §24.5 (keep your own copy of your medical records, test reports and imaging).

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Tucker KL, Sheppard JP, Stevens R, et al. (2017). Self-monitoring of blood pressure in hypertension: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine, 14(9), e1002389. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002389
2. 国家卫生健康委、国家医保局、国家中医药局、中央军委后勤保障部卫生局 (2022). 关于印发医疗机构检查检验结果互认管理办法的通知（国卫医发〔2022〕6 号），第十三条、第十七条、第十九条. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2022-02/19/content_5674575.htm

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 16, tip 3. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer