Can the Use of Telemedicine in the Management of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Reduce Clinical Time and Additional Appointments: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: Telemedicine journal and e-health Vol. 30; no. 7; p. e2072
• Main Authors: Jones, Tracy A, Roddis, Jenny, Stores, Rebecca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Appointments and Schedules; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - instrumentation; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - methods; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Compliance - statistics & numerical data; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - therapy; Telemedicine; Time Factors; obstructive sleep apnea; telemedicine; clinical time; continuous positive airway pressure; randomized controlled trial
• ISSN: 1556-3669
• DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2024.0097

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep breathing disorder and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and daytime sleepiness. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a treatment for OSA, which splints the airway open. The introduction of telemedicine in CPAP devices offers clinical staff an alternative method of reviewing patients, monitoring treatment, and reducing clinical time. A randomized control trial was conducted with patients randomized to one of three arms: Arm 1 (standard care), Arm 2 (modem and a virtual appointment), and Arm 3 (modem, smart device application DreamMapper and a virtual appointment). Ninety participants requiring treatment with CPAP following a diagnosis of OSA were recruited and data collected at baseline, 14 days, and 180 days. Additional contacts or appointments were also recorded. Ninety participants (  = 90) were recruited (68% males and 32% females) with an average age of 52.0 13.13 years and apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) 43.5 21.92 (events/h). There was a statistically significant difference between the three arms in the average clinical time taken for the first follow-up appointment (  = 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the three arms in the number of additional appointments or contacts required (  = 0.03). Telemedicine reduced clinical time at first follow-up, and in patients who received standard care or a smart device application to monitor their own CPAP treatment, there were significantly less additional appointments required when compared with telemedicine support in the form of a modem alone.