A study of a solar-powered blood pressure monitor finds it can be an effective tool in places where electricity — and even batteries — can be in short supply. A study in Africa found the monitors to be affordable and accurate.
对太阳能血压计的研究显示，这种血压计在那些缺少电力或者电池的地方可以发挥大作用。在非洲的试用证明，太阳能血压计既实惠，又准确。
High blood pressure is a major health concern. It can lead to stroke and many other debilitating conditions. But you can't tell if someone has high blood pressure just by looking at them. You have to measure it, on regular basis. And that can be a challenge.
高血压是严重的健康问题，会导致中风和许多其他病症。但是从表面上，你看不出来一个人的血压是不是过高。必须定期量血压。但这可能会有困难。
"And so, we have set out to find a device that is accurate, robust, inexpensive, and also not dependent on batteries or electricity for power," said Dr. Eoin O'Brien of University College Dublin, who is the lead author of a newly published study evaluating the effectiveness of these new monitors.
都柏林大学的欧文·奥布莱恩博士是最近一项研究报告的主要作者，内容是评估太阳能血压计的功效。他说：“我们着手寻找一种血压计，它要准确，耐用，便宜，而且不用接电源或使用电池。”
Taking blood pressure can be done manually, with an inflatable cuff and a stethoscope. The equipment is cheap, saiid O'Brien in a telephone interview, but it requires significant training to be accurate and reliable "because the greatest source of inaccuracy with the traditional technique is the observer.
奥布莱恩博士说，普通手工操作的血压计价格便宜，但是需要相当的培训，才能做到准确可靠。
"The observer becomes distracted or forgets what the blood pressure is. At least with the automated device you have the reading there. It's on the screen for you to see."
“使用传统技术，造成不准确的最大原因是使用者，他会分神或者忘记血压数据。使用自动血压计，至少数字显示在那里，你可以看到。”
But automatic equipment requires batteries or plug-in electricity.
可是自动血压计需要接电源，或者使用电池。
So the World Health Organization asked several manufacturers to submit solar-powered devices for evaluation. After laboratory review, the one made by the Japanese technology firm Omron was selected for field testing. On a full solar charge, it can take 300 blood pressure readings with accuracy comparable to the traditional, manual method.
因此，世界卫生组织要求几家制造厂商提供各种太阳能血压计，以便做出评估。在实验室里试用之后，日本欧姆龙(Omron)公司的太阳能血压计被选中进行实地试用。这种血压计在充满太阳能之后，能够连续量300次血压，准确度与传统手工测量相同。
In field tests in Uganda and Zambia, training users of the device only took about 15 minutes, and the health workers say they liked its ease of use.
在乌干达和赞比亚试用期间，训练人们试用这种血压计只需要大约15分钟。医务工作者都很喜欢这种容易使用的血压计。
"And also they liked the fact that they got automated measurements," O'Brien added, "that they had solar power and didn't have to worry about batteries, which is one of the problems with automated devices in that they are dependent upon batteries."
奥布莱恩博士说：“他们喜欢这种自动测量，他们有太阳能，不用担心电池。自动血压计的问题就是需要电池。”
The Omron model HEM-SOLAR sells for around $32, but there are no ongoing costs for batteries or power. Eoin O'Brien's paper describing evaluation of the device is published online by Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
欧姆龙HEM-SOLAR型血压计售价32美元，但是使用者不必再花钱买电池或付电费了。 |