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Updated: Jul 10, 2025
Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Home sleep apnea tests: Conflicts of interest and funding
Tanya Chen1, Melissa Lee1, Evelyn Constantin2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Insights
Half of studies on home sleep apnea tests (HSATs) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) lack funding or conflict of interest (COI) disclosures. Industry funding correlates with higher quality research, but COI reporting remains inconsistent.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Sleep Medicine
- Medical Research Methodology
Background:
- Pediatric otolaryngologists utilize home sleep apnea tests (HSATs) for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- The quality and transparency of HSAT literature are crucial for clinical decision-making.
- Previous assessments of funding and conflict of interest (COI) in this field are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence of funding and COI disclosures in HSAT publications over two decades.
- To examine the relationship between funding sources, COI, and the quality of HSAT research.
- To identify trends in reporting standards for transparency in sleep apnea research.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review of Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases was conducted.
- Publications from January 2000 to December 2021 were analyzed using the Oxford Level of Evidence (OLE) as a quality metric.
- Funding and COI statements were extracted verbatim from the manuscript texts.
Main Results:
- Out of 4257 identified articles, 400 were included in the final analysis.
- Higher quality studies (LOE 1 or 2) were more prevalent in the last five years (2016-2021).
- Nearly half (43.0%) of articles lacked funding or COI statements, with a positive correlation between industry funding and study quality.
Conclusions:
- There is significant heterogeneity in the reporting of COI and a high prevalence of industry funding in HSAT literature for OSA.
- Consensus and updated guidelines for disclosure reporting in medical journals are necessary.
- Improved transparency is needed to ensure the reliability of HSAT research for pediatric OSA diagnosis.
Objective:
Pediatric otolaryngologists rely on HSAT literature to guide their diagnostic methods related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Our objectives were to review the rates of presence of funding and/or potential conflict of interest (COI), as well as its relationship to the overall quality of HSAT publications in the literature over the last two decades.
Data Sources:
Medline, Web of Science and Embase databases.
Review Methods:
A review was performed reviewing publications from January 2000 to December 2021. Oxford Level of Evidence (OLE) was used as a quality metric. COI and funding were recorded verbatim as self-declared in the text of the manuscript.
Results:
Literature search yielded 4257 articles with 400 articles included in final analysis. The odds of higher quality studies (LOE 1 or 2) were higher in the last five years from 2016 to 2021 (OR, 3.6; 95% CI 1.4 to 6.9). Nearly half of all articles (43.0%) lacked a statement regarding funding or COI. There was a positive correlation between level of evidence and industry funding. The largest source of funding was from industry, comprising 39.6% of all studies that had a funding statement. Of these industry-funded studies, 37.5% reported no COI or lacked a COI statement.
Conclusion:
Despite a growing interest in HSATs for OSA evaluation, there is heterogeneity in reporting of COI and high prevalence of industry funding and COI. Re-evaluation and consensus amongst journals on guidelines for reporting disclosures are needed.
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