• Isabelle Delanote, Pascal Borzée, Catharina Belge, Bertien Buyse, and Dries Testelmans.
• Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
• Clin Respir J. 2018 Jan 1; 12 (1): 91-96.

IntroductionContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)-therapy is the first-line treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). A significant limitation of CPAP treatment is the poor therapy adherence, compromising the beneficial effects.ObjectiveThis study evaluates three different educational approaches and their effect on therapy adherence.MethodThis single-center, retrospective study compared three groups of 100 consecutive, CPAP-naive patients with moderate to severe OSA who were started on CPAP therapy. Group 1 and 2 received the same individual structured education on two consecutive days with an extra phone call 7 to 10 days after CPAP start in group 2. Group 3 received individual structured education on the first day and participated in a group education using a slide presentation open for discussion on the second day. Re-evaluation was performed after 24 weeks.ResultsBaseline characteristics did not differ significantly between groups. During the 24 weeks follow-up there was a drop-out rate of 16% (group 1), 12% (group 2) and 5% (group 3). In the patients still on CPAP after 24 weeks, the mean nightly CPAP usage was, respectively, 4.7 ± 1.8, 5.2 ± 2.3 and 5.7 ± 2.1 h/night. In group 3 both the drop-out rate and mean CPAP usage were significantly different (P values, respectively, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) compared with group 1.ConclusionImproving CPAP adherence is an ongoing challenge. This study shows that a multi-modality approach, using a combination of individual and group education using a slide presentation open for discussion resulted in improved therapy adherence.© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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