Review
QardioArm is a blood pressure monitor compatible with iOS, and driven by Qardio app, available on the app store for free.
Preliminary operations and app accessibility considerations
Just download and install the qardio app and create a user profile, setting it up fitting your needs, including importing and exporting data to Apple Health system.
You can have multiple devices paired to the same machine, even if of course they cannot be used simultaneously; you can set family and friends with their e-mail address and get notified when they measure their blood pressure, or set some reminders to have your phone notifying you must take your measurement. On the profile, also doctor's e-mail can be set, so that measurement history can be sent to him with no problems.
If setting Health app up, you can import already existing data from Apple health to qardio and viceversa, so that you can test app's accessibility.
Packaging
QardioArm comes with a very nice package, it's cylinder-shaped, seeming a coffee box, impressively comfortable to place standing on a shelf without taking so much space.
Unboxing
Taking the upper part of the box off, the real blood pressure monitor is here: the band to wear on arm to measure pressure, rolls itself all around the device, seeming as a protection cover, magnetically attached.
Inside the bracelet, you can find a small paper, where you can read preliminary instructions, they are multi-lingual and can be read with KNFB reader or similar OCR apps quite easily; the entire user manual stands inside the box, to cover the blood pressure machine.
Accessory description
After having unrolled the arm band, it will stay attached to the plastic machine; the device has one only button, which is needed to change batteries (4 AAA batteries). Pressure monitor activates when pulling one of the 2 parts of the unrolled band, which is held by a iron ring needed to enlarge or tighten the band on our arm.
When the band is pulled out and there is enough space to insert the arm in, the pressure monitor activates. It's time to wear it; Qardio app gives detailed instructions on what to do, it's strongly advised to open bluetooth first, then the qardio app and then start playing around with the machine.
Pairing is fun: when qardio app says: pair your device. Touch for some seconds the smart phone and the qardio arm, the message could not be clear, but it's that simple: take your iPhone, while wearing the pressure monitor, and simply touch the machine with iPhone's screen, a message on the iPhone will appear to ask for pairing, press on OK. It seemed like iPhone and the pressure monitor were bumping each other.
Remember: when wearing the monitor, the battery button must stay towards your shoulder, while qardio logo must face your hand. The machine must be positioned at about one centimeter from the joint of your elbow, and be worn not so tight, qardio logo, which must have the direction towards hand, may be detected because of the word qardio written on the plastic, Braille users should not have many problem to detect it, with finger or nail.
Pressure measurement
After having worn the device and paired it correctly with the phone, just press start, and the band will start to inflate.
After inflating, you will hear no beeps for heart beats, this is a disadvantage I found on this accessory, but just warned the developers to find a solution for this.
Be patient, and when it starts to deflate, just flick around the iPhone's screen to get your sys, dia, and bpm's measures.
Suggestion: if the values are too high, it may be because the machine has been worn too tight, or upside down.
A suggestion I gave to devs was to implement automatic speech for voiceover users into the app: "your pressure is, so, so, and so", as the app requires iOS 7 or higher it may not be difficult to implement this feature using internal speech instead of voiceover speech, or set it to use one or the other.
I was impressed to notice how easy it is now to have my pressure monitored and data sent to the doctor in semi-automatic way. Just click export history, press Send when fields are compiled correctly, and go.
You can also add notes to the current measures, and set places from app settings, which shows the map after measurement so that you can point the location to verify if you suffer of high or low pressure going here or there. Map is a bit difficult to use, even if it implements apple map's API, but you can just write a note: at the mountain this, at the sea that, at home something else.
I think it's worth it for about 93$ on amazon
Comments
QardioArm wireless blood pressure monitor
Hi Elena
Thanks for this accessory review
This seems to be very accessible using voiceOver,could you do a audio or podcast demonstration to the forum it will be great.
I was waiting for something better with the apple watch but unfortunately been disappointed.
Please someone can update information about glucose meter as well the only info that have is from
http://www.dexcom.com
apple watch
I did not try apple watch yet, but the app is supported; it's coming on 26th June.
I hope a new generation of apple watch will come out next year with more body sensors, so that medical accessories can be more and more accessible friendly.
For now I have no possibility to create podcasts, but I will do it, as soon as I will be alone at home with no background sounds, no dogs, no people etc. LOL
Sounds good
really it will be great if you do a demo recording
qardio arm with apple watch is great
Hi, I just got my apple watch a couple of days ago.
It works really great with the QardioArm, you just have the Start button, and then you'èè get your pressure measures; the only trouble is the watch blocks itself after 5 seconds when the machine deflates you must press the crown twice and qardio opens to make you read the measures.
PS: if it seems not to work, check if you're logged out
in some rare cases it can happen, you login again from iPhone, and all starts working correctly.
Works out well
Thanks for the review. It works fine with VO and my iPhone.
I see they have a scale that works with the app, now. I might look into that, too.
the scale works too
Hello, I have the scale - qardio base.
It's very nice because you have the haptic engine in it, and it vibrates when measuring weight and body composition data, so you know when you have to step off.
The only non-accessible part, for now, is the target, I mean: you can set a target of how many kilos to lose in how many weeks.
You do not manage to set the slides of weight goals, but, as it's connected with Health app, you can also set your goals through extra-apps, such as myfutnesspal or Others.
Thanks
Thanks, that's good to know. I've read a bunch of mixed reviews about the scale.
reached the age where I need one of these
Is it still accessible/useable?
@Assistive Intelligence
It is still accessible in the app. I hadn't used mine for a long time, so I dug it out of the first aid kit changed the batteries, set it up through the app, and took my blood pressure. It wants you to have an account and sign in, but there does seem to be a visitor mode and an option to sign in without a password, whatever that means. There are newer devices than mine that are listed for the app, I have the first model.
But really, you might want to get a stand-alone cuff that talks. It is likely to not be easily ready to go at some point when you need it quickly because of all that sign in stuff with the app.
I'm glad I was reminded of this device, and to check and maintain its readiness. I only needed it a few times for a very short time, but one never knows...
Gracias OB
I need to take it on a regular basis, so one that works with Aple health is a must. This one isn't to much - the stand-alone talking one seems to be more! I'll give this one a go.
I would describe the Qardio…
I would describe the Qardio app as usable.
It has some issues, including the interface being somewhat confusing in places for VoiceOver users and the historical data not being accessible on some screens. However, you can configure the monitor, start readings, and read the results, so the main boxes are ticked. It syncs with the Apple Health app, so this offers an accessible option for reviewing readings and trends.
I would suggest that you download the app and explore what's available without the BP monitor, as this should give you a basic idea of what to expect.Usable
De nada, Assistive Intelligence
If you need to use it with the Health App, it will be all right. I think the newer ones have additional features like temperature, but the older one I have at least detects irregular beats, which is more what I needed it for. I have no idea if its pressure accuracy is up to some certain standard or another.
Good luck.
Thanks folks, I need it to monitor my BP lonterm
So as long as I can put it on and get a reading into Apple Health, that will be perfect.