Introduction of a telephone recall for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is generally a chronic condition that, if left untreated, increases the risk of secondary diseases and accidents. There is an indication for treatment in moderate to severe sleep apnea, whereby the treatment strategy should be developed and offered individually based on the severity, comorbidities, anatomical findings and factors such as position dependence and body weight. Adherence to many therapies decreases over time; annual check-ups are recommended.

Methods From specialist sleep medicine consultation hours from 2019 to 2021, 346 men and 95 women with moderate and severe OSA were identified. Of these, 344 cases were without re-presentation in the last 18 months. They received a maximum of 3 call attempts for a short interview about treatment adherence, therapy alternatives initiated, symptoms or OSA-associated secondary diseases.

Results Of the cases reached by telephone, 61.4% of patients with originally initiated therapy with positive airway pressure (PAP) still used this therapy; for a mandibular protrusion splint (oral appliance) the share was 54.2%. 42.0% of the patients were without treatment at the time of the call, despite previous microsleep events (21.2%), stroke (6.1%), heart attack (6.1%) or arrhythmia (12.1%). The recall was rated positively by 96.4% (grade 1-4 on a 10-point Likert scale, median 1).

Conclusions The recall population shows declining adherence to OSA therapy, with a high proportion of untreated patients despite many with relevant OSA-associated comorbidities and microsleep events. Satisfaction with the recall was high and it has the potential to promote adherence to therapy or the initiation of treatment alternatives.

Publication History

Article published online:
19 April 2024