A new study finds that most healthcare providers are not giving sleep apnea patients additional therapy options besides a CPAP mask.
More than half of those diagnosed with sleep apnea fail to stick with the standard treatment for the condition, the CPAP mask, a new study says. And most aren’t given additional options or referred to a specialist, even when they can’t tolerate the first treatment.
“The most striking thing about our study is that this is the first study to look at how many patients are using CPAP after a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea,” said corresponding author Dr Alan Kominsky, an assistant professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
“The surprising finding was just how few patients were referred to other providers once CPAP failed,” he said.
