At SleepHealth Solutions, we always aspire to put our patients first through rapid yet effective diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and optimization of care by adopting core values based on the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care.
Our Approach
Our extensive clinical experience in treating sleep disorders means that we are all too familiar with the devastating impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea on the physical, psychological and occupational health of patients—not to mention their family and friends! These problems are made worse by patients often facing lengthy delays in reaching a diagnosis due to long waiting lists, inefficiencies in diagnostic testing and having to attend multiple hospital appointments.
Our journey at SleepHealth Solutions began with the creation of a unique Clinical Decision Support System, allowing patients with suspected OSA to be diagnosed earlier in their journey—creating unique diagnostic and treatment pathways. This Clinical Decision Support System is now integral to the management of patients with suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea at a major national tertiary NHS Sleep Centre.
Evaluation Approach to Sleep
Delivery of NHS Guidelines for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
The delivery of high-quality care and associated healthcare outcomes, in any healthcare system, is entirely dependent upon the implementation of clinical guidelines.
There are effectively two aspects in relation to the delivery of evidenced based guidelines:
- The creation of the guidelines themselves
- The implementation of the guidelines
SleepHealth is focusing their support around the implementation of the guidelines and that is the purpose of our Computer Guided Consultation (CGC) for Sleep. SleepHealth has created a product that assists specialist and non-specialist healthcare professionals to deliver a full and thorough guideline level review, for all patients referred for investigation and management of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).
We aim to create an alternative pathway for patients to see a consultant sooner than the usual waiting times, allowing for specialist resource to be used effectively in the areas where it is needed most.
Assessing the effectiveness of the Computer Guided Consultation (CGC) in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the software, when used by a ‘non-clinician’ and compared this to the diagnosis made by a Sleep specialist physician when assessing the same patients from unselected referrals with suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. (OSA)
The Results
The software was shown to have a high level of diagnostic concordance when compared with a sleep specialist but also highlighted those patients with unexplained symptoms or where there was diagnostic doubt and recommended referred to a sleep specialist. The results, published in the European Respiratory Journal are statistically significant and demonstrate that the software enables both a safe and accurate diagnosis in patients with suspected OSA.
