Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2004 Aug;42(8):764-9.
doi: 10.1097/01.mlr.0000132353.99209.fe.

A pilot trial of a telecommunications system in sleep apnea management

Deborah A DeMolles  1 , David Sparrow, Daniel J Gottlieb, Robert Friedman
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

A pilot trial of a telecommunications system in sleep apnea management

Deborah A DeMolles et al. Med Care. 2004 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), although many patients have difficulty adhering to this therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of totally automated telephone technology in improving adherence to prescribed CPAP therapy.

Research design: This pilot study was a randomized clinical trial in 30 patients being started on CPAP therapy for OSAS. Patients were randomly assigned to use of a computer telephone system designed to improve CPAP adherence (telephone-linked communications for CPAP [TLC-CPAP]) in addition to usual care (n = 15) or to usual care alone (n = 15) for a period of 2 months. TLC-CPAP is a computer-based system that monitors patients' self-reported behavior and provides education and reinforcement through a structured dialogue.

Measures: A sleep symptoms checklist and the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire were administered at study entry and at 2-month follow up. Hours of CPAP use at effective mask pressure were measured by the CPAP device, stored in its memory, and retrieved at the 2-month visit.

Results: At 2 months, patients randomized to TLC-CPAP had fewer reported sleep-related symptoms (9.4 vs. 13.4, P = 0.047) than those receiving usual care. The average nightly CPAP use in the TLC-CPAP group was 4.4 hours compared with 2.9 hours (P = 0.076) in the usual-care group.

Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that patients with OSAS started on CPAP and a concurrently administered automated education and counseling system had better CPAP adherence and better control of OSAS symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • International Consensus Statement on Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
    Chang JL, Goldberg AN, Alt JA, Mohammed A, Ashbrook L, Auckley D, Ayappa I, Bakhtiar H, Barrera JE, Bartley BL, Billings ME, Boon MS, Bosschieter P, Braverman I, Brodie K, Cabrera-Muffly C, Caesar R, Cahali MB, Cai Y, Cao M, Capasso R, Caples SM, Chahine LM, Chang CP, Chang KW, Chaudhary N, Cheong CSJ, Chowdhuri S, Cistulli PA, Claman D, Collen J, Coughlin KC, Creamer J, Davis EM, Dupuy-McCauley KL, Durr ML, Dutt M, Ali ME, Elkassabany NM, Epstein LJ, Fiala JA, Freedman N, Gill K, Gillespie MB, Golisch L, Gooneratne N, Gottlieb DJ, Green KK, Gulati A, Gurubhagavatula I, Hayward N, Hoff PT, Hoffmann OMG, Holfinger SJ, Hsia J, Huntley C, Huoh KC, Huyett P, Inala S, Ishman SL, Jella TK, Jobanputra AM, Johnson AP, Junna MR, Kado JT, Kaffenberger TM, Kapur VK, Kezirian EJ, Khan M, Kirsch DB, Kominsky A, Kryger M, Krystal AD, Kushida CA, Kuzniar TJ, Lam DJ, Lettieri CJ, Lim DC, Lin HC, Liu SYC, MacKay SG, Magalang UJ, Malhotra A, Mansukhani MP, Maurer JT, May AM, Mitchell RB, Mokhlesi B, Mullins AE, Nada EM, Naik S, Nokes B, Olson MD, Pack AI, Pang EB, Pang KP, Patil SP, Van de Perck E, Piccirillo JF, Pien GW, Piper AJ, Plawecki A, Quigg M, Ravesloot MJL, Redline S, Rotenberg BW, Ryden … See abstract for full author list ➔ Chang JL, et al. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2023 Jul;13(7):1061-1482. doi: 10.1002/alr.23079. Epub 2023 Mar 30. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2023. PMID: 36068685 Free PMC article. Review.
  • The role of telemedicine in CPAP compliance for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
    Taylor Y, Eliasson A, Andrada T, Kristo D, Howard R. Taylor Y, et al. Sleep Breath. 2006 Sep;10(3):132-8. doi: 10.1007/s11325-006-0059-9. Sleep Breath. 2006. PMID: 16565867 Clinical Trial.
  • An orientation session improves objective sleep quality and mask acceptance during positive airway pressure titration.
    Silva RS, Truksinas V, de Mello-Fujita L, Truksinas E, Zanin LK, Pinto MC, de Paula MS, Skomro RP, Bittencourt LR, Tufik S. Silva RS, et al. Sleep Breath. 2008 Mar;12(1):85-9. doi: 10.1007/s11325-007-0138-6. Sleep Breath. 2008. PMID: 17924157 Clinical Trial.
  • Educational, supportive and behavioural interventions to improve usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea.
    Askland K, Wright L, Wozniak DR, Emmanuel T, Caston J, Smith I. Askland K, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Apr 7;4(4):CD007736. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007736.pub3. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020. PMID: 32255210 Free PMC article.
  • Sleep apnoea.
    Hensley M, Ray C. Hensley M, et al. BMJ Clin Evid. 2009 Jun 4;2009:2301. BMJ Clin Evid. 2009. PMID: 21726484 Free PMC article.
See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources