Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening in Preoperative Patients

Patients with the medical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and those with undiagnosed OSA have greater chances for adverse events during surgical procedures related to their medical condition. Early identification of at-risk OSA patients can help mitigate associated adverse events. The purpose of this project was to implement a preoperative process to provide early identification of at-risk OSA patients in the preadmission unit, at a large military level I trauma center in central Texas. The Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time (PICOT) question for this project is: "In the adult surgical population, how does the routine use of the STOP-Bang Questionnaire compared to non-standardized assessment influence the identification of OSA during the preadmission processing in a military health care treatment facility?" Following the implementation of the standardized use of the STOP-Bang Questionnaire, the identification of early at-risk OSA patients increased from 23% (based on a medical diagnosis of OSA) to 54% with an intermediate and high-risk OSA. Early identification of OSA has an impact on the decisions made to augment and enhance the patient-specific tailored care for each at-risk OSA surgical patient. Potential adverse events may be diminished or eliminated with the early identification of OSA patients. Preoperative policies that support the utilization of preoperative screening for OSA will improve the overall quality and safety of care provided to surgical patients.