Implementation of a computer-guided consultation in the assessment of suspected obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
Biswajit Chakrabarti, Nadia Lewis-Burke, Mike Pearson, Sonya Craig, Lisa Davies, Kim Sheridan, Philip England, Eddie McKnight, Robert Angus
ERJ Open Research 2020 6: 00362-2019; DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00362-2019
The study reports the results of the use of the LungHealth Sleep guided consultation in the hands of both sleep medicine trained specialists and non-specialists when assessing consecutive unselected referrals with suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the software and compared this to the diagnosis made by a Sleep specialist physician when assessing the same patients.
What did the study report?
The implementation of the LungHealth Sleep guided consultation results in the finding of a high level of diagnostic concordance when compared to a Sleep specialist. Furthermore, the software accurately identified those patients who had unexplained symptoms or where the diagnosis was in doubt and referred them for a specialist opinion.
Establishing the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea accurately and safely: The diagnosis made by the LungHealth Sleep guided consultation was found to be concordant with the diagnosis made by the Sleep Specialist in over 90% of cases when the software was used by both sleep medicine trained specialists and non-specialists (kappa; p<0.05). In those cases where there was diagnostic doubt, the software safely recommended further Sleep Specialist review and did not discharge the patient.
Read the paper here.