BACKGROUND: Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is essential in @entity1 with @entity27 ( @entity27 ), but adequate control is not always possible. This is clinically important because CPAP can reverse the morbidity and mortality associated with @entity27 . Telemedicine, with support provided via a web platform and video conferences, could represent a cost-effective alternative to standard care management. AIM: To assess the telemedicine impact on treatment compliance, cost-effectiveness and improvement in quality of life (QoL) when compared with traditional face-to-face follow-up. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial was performed to compare a telemedicine-based CPAP follow-up strategy with standard face-to-face management. Consecutive @entity27 @entity1 requiring CPAP treatment, with sufficient internet skills and who agreed to participate, were enrolled. They were followed-up at 1, 3 and 6   months and answered surveys about sleep, CPAP side effects and lifestyle. We compared CPAP compliance, cost-effectiveness and QoL between the beginning and the end of the study. A Bayesian cost-effectiveness analysis with non-informative priors was performed. RESULTS: We randomised 139 @entity1 . At 6   months, we found similar levels of CPAP compliance, and improved @entity25 , QoL, side effects and degree of satisfaction in both groups. Despite requiring more visits, the telemedicine group was more cost-effective: costs were lower and differences in effectiveness were not relevant. CONCLUSIONS: A telemedicine-based strategy for the follow-up of CPAP treatment in @entity1 with @entity27 was as effective as standard hospital-based care in terms of CPAP compliance and symptom improvement, with comparable side effects and satisfaction rates. The telemedicine-based strategy had lower total costs due to savings on transport and less lost productivity (indirect costs). TRIAL REGISTER NUMBER: NCT01716676.

A Bayesian cost-effectiveness analysis of a telemedicine-based strategy for the management of XXXX : a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity27 :: ('MESH:D020181', 'Disease') :: ['obstructive sleep apnoea', 'OSA'] @entity25 :: ('MESH:D012893', 'Disease') :: ['daytime sleepiness']
@entity25 :: (MESH:D012893,Disease) :: ['sleep apnoea']
