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Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding obstructive sleep apnea among primary care physicians

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked with inflammation, hypertension, and higher cardiovascular risk which cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, OSA is underdiagnosed and its prevalence is increasing. Primary care doctors are the first contact for most patients and primary care providers play an important role in promoting, screening, and educating patients regarding OSA. This study aims to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding OSA among primary care doctors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among physicians who were currently working in primary care clinics in the capital state of Kuala Lumpur. The validated “Obstructive Sleep Apnea Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire” (OSAKA) and nine additional practice questions were used as the survey instrument.

Results

Of 207 physicians queried, the response rate was 100%. The mean (± SD) total knowledge score was 11.6 (± 2.8) (range 1–18). The majority of respondents had a positive attitude towards the importance of OSA but lacked confidence in managing OSA. Primary care doctors’ most common practice for patients with suspected OSA was referral to the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) clinic.

Conclusions

The study shows that primary care doctors demonstrated adequate knowledge about OSA and were aware of the importance of OSA as a core clinical problem. However, only a minority felt confident in managing patients with OSA. The results of the study may encourage improvement of primary care doctors’ efforts to prevent and manage OSA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

    Navin Kumar Devaraj

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  1. Navin Kumar Devaraj
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Correspondence to Navin Kumar Devaraj.

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The author declares that he has no competing interests.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Devaraj, N.K. Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding obstructive sleep apnea among primary care physicians. Sleep Breath 24, 1581–1590 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-020-02040-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-020-02040-1

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