Breathing Easy: Conquering Obstructive Sleep Apnea for Better Health - Screening and Management of OSA

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a prevalent but often underestimated sleep disorder with significant implications for the health and well-being of individuals in the United States. Despite its impact on chronic diseases and healthcare costs, OSA remains underdiagnosed, leading to untreated sleep apnea and its consequences. With emerging strategies for OSA treatment, it’s crucial for healthcare providers to stay informed about the latest clinical evidence shaping the treatment landscape.

Explore the 3-part on-demand series, Breathing Easy: Conquering Obstructive Sleep Apnea for Better Health. This collaborative effort, in conjunction with local AAFP Chapter meetings, provides expert guidance and clinical best practices for screening, managing, monitoring, and treating patients with OSA. Key topics in Part 2: Screening and Management of OSA include:

• Evaluating sleep health and identifying patients at-risk for OSA: Establishing routine sleep health evaluation and best practices for assessments and screening to promptly recognize OSA patients
• Recognizing diverse presentations of OSA: Typical vs atypical presentation of OSA symptoms, distinguishing phenotypes, validated assessment and screening tools, evidence-based guidelines for screening and diagnosis to identify diverse presentations of OSA
• Individualizing OSA management plans: Strategies to personalize treatment plans, including new and emerging options, based on patient factors, disease phenotype, comorbidities, etc. and engaging patients in treatment decisions

In case you missed it, click here for the first activity in the series, which covers the interconnection of OSA and disease-related complications, including the risks of undiagnosed and unmanaged OSA, common comorbidities with OSA, and high-risk and underserved populations in OSA.

Mark your calendars for the third activity in this series, launching March 6, 2024, which covers improving collaboration amongst multidisciplinary teams to tackle OSA, including improving access to OSA care for underserved and rural populations, engaging patients in care collaboration, and patient-first approaches to OSA care.