Institute for Continuing Education

Getting Patients to Comply with Their OSA Therapy

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Differentiate between various Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) modalities including CPAP, APAP, BiPAP, and ASV, articulating the physiological rationale and appropriate clinical applications for each modality in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
• Analyze the biopsychosocial factors contributing to low PAP adherence, including patient-specific health beliefs, disease perception, device interface issues, claustrophobia, co-morbid insomnia, and socioeconomic determinants of health.
• Evaluate the clinical and public health significance of PAP non-adherence, including quantifiable risks related to cardiovascular disease progression, neurocognitive decline, metabolic dysfunction, and occupational and motor vehicle safety.
• Implement advanced behavioral and cognitive intervention strategies, including Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques utilizing the OARS framework and DARN-CAT change talk recognition, to enhance patient engagement and treatment self-efficacy.
• Apply structured desensitization protocols and cognitive restructuring techniques to manage mask intolerance, claustrophobia, and Post-PAP Onset Insomnia (PAPI) in patients struggling with therapy adaptation.
• Utilize Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) data platforms to systematically identify adherence barriers through interpretation of usage hours, mask leak patterns, and residual AHI data, delivering timely, personalized interventions within the critical 14-day window.
• Compare and contrast the mechanisms, patient selection criteria, and efficacy validation methods for adjunctive and alternative OSA therapies including Oral Appliance Therapy, Positional Therapy, Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation, and surgical interventions when PAP adherence is unattainable.
• Describe the health economic impact of PAP non-adherence on healthcare utilization and articulate the ethical responsibilities of the RPSGT in patient advocacy, informed consent, and public safety reporting.

Course Information

This course presents you with a variety of readings from a variety of viewpoints regarding the issues associated with patient compliance with their CPAP instructions.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition affecting 2% of adult female and 4% of adult male populations, and close to 20% of the elderly population. OSA results in excess daytime sleepiness and decreased health-related quality of life.