A Neurology Advisor report indicates that many patients with obstructive sleep apnea are not being treated and less than half report adherence to treatment.
Many patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are not being treated, with only 42% reporting adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment, according to research published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Jonathon O. Russell, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review in an academic hospital to determine the subsequent management of patients with a diagnosis of OSA. Six hundred sixteen patients met inclusion criteria.
The researchers found that 42% of patients had documented adherence to PAP. Thirty-five percent of 241 untreated patients were referred for further attempts at management of diagnosed OSA. Almost half of the patients did not have continued treatment or referral for diagnosed OSA.
