Improving sleep apnea treatment adherence after traumatic brain injury: A nonrandomized feasibility study

To evaluate the feasibility of a psychological intervention designed to increase Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) adherence, adapted with cognitive accommodations for comorbid obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

This was an open-label single arm (nonrandomized) study. Eligibility criteria were moderate-to-severe TBI, OSA diagnosis, prescribed PAP, nonadherent, and able to consent. Participants were recruited from inpatient and outpatient settings at a tertiary care hospital. The four-module manualized intervention was delivered primarily via telehealth. Feasibility aspects measured included eligibility, recruitment, and retention rates; session duration and attendance; and characteristics of outcome and process measures (e.g., completion rates, data distribution). Symptom measures included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, Self-Efficacy Measure for Sleep Apnea, OSA Treatment Barriers Questionnaire (OTBQ), and Kim Alliance Scale-Revised.

Of 230 persons screened, 14.3% were eligible. Recruitment rate (n = 17) was 51.5%. Retention rate (n = 13) was 76.5%. Treatment completers had no missing data. The OTBQ deviated from normality, but other measures had adequate skew (< 2.0) and kurtosis (< 7.0) and were free from significant floor and ceiling effects (<15%). Change score effect sizes were minimal to moderate (d = .10-.77). There were no adverse events.

These results inform ways in which procedures should be modified to enhance the success of a future clinical trial testing the efficacy of this adherence intervention. Inclusion criteria should be reconsidered, and recruitment sites expanded, to capture eligible persons and adequately power an efficacy study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).