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Monitoring Progress and Adherence with PAP Therapy for OSA: the Roles of Telemedicine and Mobile Health Applications

  • Sleeping and Breathing (T Lee-Chiong, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pulmonology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Given the challenge of optimizing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy adherence in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this paper discusses implementation of telemedicine-based mechanisms and other health-related technologies in order to develop a comprehensive and cost-effective solution for OSA management.

Recent Findings

Technology is changing every aspect of health care by empowering patients while changing the approach of providers and the health system of delivering care. Key elements include the use of electronic messaging, remote monitoring, automated care mechanisms, and patient self-management platforms. Follow-up care mechanisms involving automated remote monitoring and direct patient messaging have been proven to improve therapy adherence. Additional sleep-related telemedicine platforms that can be practically adopted include the use of web-based educational programs, patient applications that promote self-management, and peer-based patient-driven platforms.

Summary

This paper discusses sleep-related telemedicine mechanisms that can be used to improve CPAP adherence and discusses emerging trends within the health information technology ecosystem, including electronic health record integration and their potential impact on OSA and clinical outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis Hwang.

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Conflict of Interest

Tanya Doctorian declares no conflict on interest.

Dennis Hwang reports grants from American Sleep Medicine Foundation and non-financial support from ResMed Corp. during the conduct of the study.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Disclosure Statement

Dennis Hwang received recent research support from the American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF), Itamar Medical Ltd., and Beckman Coulter, Inc. Previous research support was received from the National Institutes of Health and Ventus Medical, Inc. Institutional support was provided by ResMed Corp. ASMF and ResMed Corp. supported the research presented in Fig. 1. The other sponsors do not represent a conflict of interest.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Sleeping and Breathing

Key Points

1. Define telemedicine in order to develop a framework for technology mechanisms that can potentially impact the management of obstructive sleep apnea.

2. Discuss sleep-related telemedicine mechanisms that can be utilized to improve CPAP adherence.

3. Discuss emerging trends within the health information technology ecosystem, including electronic health record integration and their potential impact on obstructive sleep apnea management.

4. Discuss clinical implications of effective telemedicine utilization in clinical practice.

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Hwang, D., Doctorian, T. Monitoring Progress and Adherence with PAP Therapy for OSA: the Roles of Telemedicine and Mobile Health Applications. Curr Pulmonol Rep 6, 195–205 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13665-017-0187-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13665-017-0187-7

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