Abstract
The treatment of choice for sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is continuous pressure airway positive (CPAP). One of medical objectives is to improve compliance.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of an educational intervention on the adherence to CPAP after four months of treatment.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study has been undertaken at the Sleep Unit of a Tertiary Hospital. During 5 months all patients who were consecutively diagnosed of SAS and had indication for CPAP were enrolled.
Patients were classified exclusively according to the weekday when polysomnography was performed. The interventional group was composed by subjects who underwent polysomnography from Monday to Thursday. After testing, patients were shown the results of polysomnography on the computer screen. The control group included those patients who underwent polysomnography from Friday to Sunday. In both groups, the nurses explained the process of adaptation to CPAP. The patients were evaluated at the end of the first and fourth month. The treatment compliance at four months was measured by the ratio hours of use per day stored in the memory of the CPAP device.
RESULTS: We included 175 patients; 43 of them were women (25%), mean age = 54 ± 11 years, BMI = 31 ± 4, and score on the Epworth scale = 13 ± 2.4. The interventional group consisted of 101 patients. The average use of CPAP in the interventional group was significantly higher than that of the control group (4,7 ± 2,1 hours vs 3,6 ± 2,5 hours p = 0.005).
CONCLUSIONS: A vision of the sleep test by patients and an explanation by a physician is an intervention that significantly improves compliance with CPAP.
- © 2012 ERS