STUDY OBJECTIVES: The demand for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy outpaces available resources in most health care settings. We sought to evaluate predictors of nonroutine CPAP follow-up visits to improve resource utilization. METHODS: We randomly analyzed 1,141 of the 2,446 patients who had received at least 1 year of CPAP therapy. Reasons for contacts, type (routine = R, nonroutine = NR), and mode (face-to-face or not, physician, nurse) were collected. RESULTS: A total of 771 patients were classified R, and 370 NR. Age, profession, and sex did not affect the NR frequency. Symptoms increased the odds ratio for NR 12.1-fold, somnolence 34.8-fold, and suffocation at night 10.4-fold. Patients with nonroutine reasons abandonedCPAP therapy significantly (7.6-fold) more frequently than patients with routine reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms during CPAP therapy predicted the nonroutine contacts well. In line with this, patients with symptoms have become a priority follow-up group, and could constitute the only follow-up policy when dealing with insufficient medical resources.
RCT Entities:
STUDY OBJECTIVES: The demand for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy outpaces available resources in most health care settings. We sought to evaluate predictors of nonroutine CPAP follow-up visits to improve resource utilization. METHODS: We randomly analyzed 1,141 of the 2,446 patients who had received at least 1 year of CPAP therapy. Reasons for contacts, type (routine = R, nonroutine = NR), and mode (face-to-face or not, physician, nurse) were collected. RESULTS: A total of 771 patients were classified R, and 370 NR. Age, profession, and sex did not affect the NR frequency. Symptoms increased the odds ratio for NR 12.1-fold, somnolence 34.8-fold, and suffocation at night 10.4-fold. Patients with nonroutine reasons abandoned CPAP therapy significantly (7.6-fold) more frequently than patients with routine reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms during CPAP therapy predicted the nonroutine contacts well. In line with this, patients with symptoms have become a priority follow-up group, and could constitute the only follow-up policy when dealing with insufficient medical resources.
Authors: Kim L Ward; David R Hillman; Alan James; Alexandra P Bremner; Laila Simpson; Matthew N Cooper; Lyle J Palmer; Annette C Fedson; Sutapa Mukherjee Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2013-10-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Lawrence J Epstein; David Kristo; Patrick J Strollo; Norman Friedman; Atul Malhotra; Susheel P Patil; Kannan Ramar; Robert Rogers; Richard J Schwab; Edward M Weaver; Michael D Weinstein Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2009-06-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Clete A Kushida; Michael R Littner; Max Hirshkowitz; Timothy I Morgenthaler; Cathy A Alessi; Dennis Bailey; Brian Boehlecke; Terry M Brown; Jack Coleman; Leah Friedman; Sheldon Kapen; Vishesh K Kapur; Milton Kramer; Teofilo Lee-Chiong; Judith Owens; Jeffrey P Pancer; Todd J Swick; Merrill S Wise Journal: Sleep Date: 2006-03 Impact factor: 5.849
Authors: Mariane S Yui; Quedayr Tominaga; Bruno C P Lopes; Alan L Eckeli; Leila A de Almeida; Fabio A W Rabelo; Daniel S Küpper; Fabiana C P Valera Journal: Sleep Breath Date: 2021-04-08 Impact factor: 2.816