Improvement in obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis and management wait times: A retrospective analysis of home management pathway for obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition within the Canadian population. The current gold standard for diagnosis and management of patients is in-laboratory (in-lab) polysomnography; however, the limited availability of testing options for patients has led to long wait times and increased disease burden within the population. The Sleep Research Laboratory in Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) implemented a home management program to run in parallel with the in-lab system several years ago in an effort to increase their capacity and reduce wait times. The present study was a retrospective analysis of all patients referred to the program between 2009 and 2012. The home management system has improved wait times by diagnosing and managing up to one-half of the referred patient population, reducing the wait for in-lab treatment from a median of 152 days in 2009 to 92 days in 2012 (P<0.0001). Moving forward, home management can provide a viable alternative to in-lab testing for patients who meet strict entry criteria, reducing the in-lab workload and, ultimately, reducing wait times.
Samuel Alan
SA
Stewart
Robert
R
Skomro
John
J
Reid
Erika
E
Penz
Mark
M
Fenton
John
J
Gjevre
David
D
Cotton
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D019091:Critical Pathways; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D061665:Time-to-Treatment