Provider Types and Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Case Finding and Treatment
Authors: Timothy J. Wilt, Nancy Greer, Ken M. Kunisaki
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Letters7 August 2018Provider Types and Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Case Finding and TreatmentTimothy J. Wilt, MD, MPH, Nancy Greer, PhD, and Ken M. Kunisaki, MD, MSTimothy J. Wilt, MD, MPHMinneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (T.J.W., K.M.K.)Search for more papers by this author, Nancy Greer, PhDMinneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota (N.G.)Search for more papers by this author, and Ken M. Kunisaki, MD, MSMinneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (T.J.W., K.M.K.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L18-0165 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Parthasarathy and colleagues suggest that several aspects of our systematic review limit our conclusions. We disagree.First, we noted the limitations in, and low strength of, the evidence indicating that care by NSSs and SSPs resulted in similar outcomes in adults with known or suspected obstructive sleep apnea.Second, we did not provide pooled results, because of the paucity and heterogeneity of studies reporting quality of life, adherence, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores, a decision suggested by the journal's editors. We noted that none of the 5 randomized controlled trials reporting adherence found a statistically or ...References1. Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, Kuhlmann DC, Mehra R, Ramar K, et al. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13:479-504. [PMID: 28162150] doi:10.5664/jcsm.6506 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Parthasarathy S, Subramanian S, Quan SF. A multicenter prospective comparative effectiveness study of the effect of physician certification and center accreditation on patient-centered outcomes in obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10:243-9. [PMID: 24634620] doi:10.5664/jcsm.3518 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Parthasarathy S, Haynes PL, Budhiraja R, Habib MP, Quan SF. A national survey of the effect of sleep medicine specialists and American Academy of Sleep Medicine accreditation on management of obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2006;2:133-42. [PMID: 17557485] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG; PRISMA Group. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:264-9. [PMID: 19622511] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (T.J.W., K.M.K.)Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota (N.G.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-2511. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoProvider Types and Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Case Finding and Treatment Ken M. Kunisaki , Nancy Greer , Wajahat Khalil , Erin Koffel , Eva Koeller , Roderick MacDonald , and Timothy J. Wilt Provider Types and Outcomes in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Case Finding and Treatment Sairam Parthasarathy , Daniel Combs , Sarah N. Patel , Chitra Poongkunran , and Stuart F. Quan Metrics 7 August 2018Volume 169, Issue 3Page: 202KeywordsConflicts of interestDisclosurePeer reviewQuality of lifeSleepSleep apneaSub-specialty careSystematic reviews ePublished: 7 August 2018 Issue Published: 7 August 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...