Study Shows the Value of Sleep Specialists in Promoting CPAP Adherence

April 25, 2013

A new study reports that a consultation with a board certified sleep medicine physician prior to undergoing a diagnostic PSG is predictive of increased 30-day CPAP use. The study appears in the March 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The study involved a retrospective review of 403 adults who were referred to the University of Chicago Sleep Laboratory for their first in-laboratory PSG because of clinical suspicion for OSA. Participants were categorized into two groups based on the specialty of the physician ordering the PSG: non-sleep specialists or board certified sleep specialists. Results show that reduced mean CPAP adherence was significantly and independently predicted by a non-sleep specialist ordering the polysomnogram and CPAP therapy. The study also found that responses to a four-item CPAP perception questionnaire administered to patients immediately following CPAP titration independently predicted mean CPAP adherence during the first 30 days.

“It is possible that contact with a sleep specialist may have led to improved patient education, better awareness about OSA and its implications, and emphasis on the importance of CPAP therapy,” wrote the authors. They also reported the link between a sleep specialist consultation and improved CPAP adherence in a study published in 2012.