Overview
Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) wait up to two years for a diagnostic test. Early diagnosis enables optimal treatment, mitigating risks including heart failure, lung disease, and stroke. Current diagnostic approaches are expensive (£391), time-consuming (>1-hour interpretation), uncomfortable (cables/tubes/wires), and inequitable (multiple hospital visits). Overcoming all these limitations, we have designed and will investigate a straigh-to-test automated diagnostic pathway for OSA. This will use the AcuPebble, a miniature wearable acoustic sensor and the first regulated technology for automated, at-home diagnosis. The test is cheap (< £100); time-saving; endorsed by patients, and accessible (posted directly to patients). This project will measure the impact of a potentially transformative, innovative, and scalable diagnostic pathway using AcuPebble technology.
Description
The investigators are conducting a prospective implementation and health economic study of a novel straight-to-test (STT) clinical diagnostic pathway for OSA, using a novel, regulatory-approved wearable medical device for automated diagnosis of OSA in the home setting (AcuPebble SA100). The setting is real-world direct clinical care, with participation from three NHS sleep medicine centres servicing the North West London region.
Inclusion criteria is primary care referrals for OSA investigation were triaged onto the pathway based on predetermined criteria, compared to a historical cohort of patients undergoing STT using cardiorespiratory polygraphy (CR-PG) technology serving as a control group. The primary outcome is time-to-diagnosis. Secondary outcomes include NHS cost-saving per patient; surrogates for health equity (e.g. test completion rates, time/cost of journeys saved); and carbon footprint reduction from averted patient journeys (sustainability).
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- OSA testing referral from primary care
Exclusion Criteria:
- Unable to follow test instructions