Testing a Consumer Wearables Program to Promote the Use of Positive Airway Pressure Therapy in Patients With...

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Digital Health
• Patient Adherence

Background:

• Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is a first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but patient adherence is often poor.
• Patient beliefs about the importance and effectiveness of PAP therapy influence adherence.
• Integrating data from wearable devices and PAP machines may enhance patient self-management and adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a program (mPAP) that combines wearable device data with PAP therapy data.
• To promote self-management of PAP therapy for OSA patients using a pilot randomized waitlist-controlled trial.
• To investigate if providing patients with combined blood oxygen saturation and PAP use data influences therapy beliefs and adherence.

Main Methods:

• A single-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 50 nonadherent OSA patients.
• Participants were randomized to an immediate intervention or a waitlist control group for a 28-day intervention period.
• The intervention group received weekly reports summarizing wearable-provided oxygen saturation, PAP use, and OSA symptoms.

Main Results:

• Recruitment commenced in October 2023.
• Data analysis is scheduled to begin in October 2024 upon completion of all follow-ups.
• Manuscript submission will follow the completion of data analysis.

Conclusions:

• The study may offer insights into how patients with OSA utilize patient-generated health data from wearables.
• This data integration could inform OSA self-management strategies.
• The findings may indicate a potential to increase the use of PAP therapy among OSA patients.