Sleep Apnea - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Barriers to positive airway pressure adherence among veterans with sleep apnea: a mixed methods study.

Positive airway pressure for sleep apnea is suboptimal at suboptimal rates. Though prior studies have identified individual reasons associated with PAP non-adherence, few studies have examined a number of potential barriers directly from the patient perspective. We investigated the variety of factors that patients cite as barriers to optimal use of PAP as well as the solutions most commonly offered by providers. The chart was used to determine untreated apnea severity, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, therapy hours, and residual apnea severity. Patients described physical and psychological barriers to adherent use at approximately equal rates: Mask leaks and dry throat/nose were common physical barriers, and anxiety/claustrophobia and worsening insomnia were common psychological barriers, and fear of adhent use were common psychological obstacles. We recommend individualized evaluation of each patient's barriers to use, as well as increased presence of behavioral health specialists in sleep medicine clinics.

Source link: https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibac040

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