Validation of the sleep-EVAL system against clinical assessments of sleep disorders and polysomnographic data.
OBJECTIVE
To validate the Sleep-EVAL expert system, a computerized tool designed for the assessment of sleep disorders, against polysomnographic data and clinical assessments by sleep specialists.


METHODS
Patients were interviewed twice, once by a physician using Sleep-EVAL and again by a sleep specialist. Polysomnographic data were also recorded to ascertain diagnoses. Agreement between diagnoses generated by Sleep-EVAL and those formulated by sleep specialists was determined via the kappa statistic.


METHODS
Sleep disorder centers at Stanford University (USA) and Regensburg University (Germany).


METHODS
105 patients aged 18 years or over.


METHODS
NA.


RESULTS
Sleep-EVAL made an average of 1.32 diagnoses per patient, compared with 0.93 for the sleep specialists. Overall agreement on any sleep-breathing disorder was 96.9% (Kappa .94). More than half of the patients were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS); the agreement rate for this specific diagnosis was 96.7% (Kappa .93).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings indicate that the Sleep-EVAL system is a valid instrument for the recognition of major sleep disorders, particularly insomnia and OSAS.
Ohayon
M M
MM
Philippe Pinel Research Center of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. mrcohayon@aol.com
Guilleminault
C
C
Zulley
J
J
Palombini
L
L
Raab
H
H
D000328:Adult; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D005103:Expert Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*