ArticleCanadian respiratory journal
Wait times for sleep apnea care in Ontario: a multidisciplinary assessment.
Article in Canadian respiratory journal. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Decoding Intracranial EEG With Machine Learning: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Canadian Thoracic Society 2011 guideline update: diagnosis and treatment of sleep disordered breathing.Canadian respiratory journalGuideline
- Trial
- Quality Improvement Intervention to Increase Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Testing After Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack: A Cluster Randomized Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- Comparison of patient-reported outcomes between alternative care provider-led and physician-led care for severe sleep disordered breathing: secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.Journal of patient-reported outcomes · 2024Trial
- Diagnosis and management of sleep apnea by a clinical nurse: a noninferiority randomized clinical trial.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2022Trial
- Effects of Wait Times on Treatment Adherence and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Severe Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Secondary Analysis of a Noninferiority Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Western University Protocol for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Severe obstructive sleep apnoea can be accurately diagnosed in primary care centres.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- Practical Application of Polysomnography in Infants.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Performance of wearable finger ring trackers for diagnostic sleep measurement in the clinical context.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Access and models of obstructive sleep apnea care: a cross-national comparison of Canadian and Australian patient survey data.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025Article
- Waiting for in-Lab Polysomnography May Unnecessarily Prolong Treatment Start in Patients with Moderate or Severe OSA at Home Sleep Apnea Testing.Nature and science of sleep · 2024Article
- Level 2 Polysomnography for the Diagnosis of Sleep Disorders: A Health Technology Assessment.Ontario health technology assessment series · 2024Article
- Is sleep apnea truly associated with hearing loss? A nationwide, population-based study with STOP-BANG questionnaire.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- APAP Treatment Acceptance Rate and Cost-Effectiveness of Telemedicine in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Nature and science of sleep · 2023Article
- Impact of wait times for treatment on clinical outcomes in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.ERJ open research · 2022Article
- A new tool to screen patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea in the primary care setting: a prospective multicenter study.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2022Article
- The mobile sleep medicine model in neurologic practice: Rationale and application.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder that is associated with significant patient morbidity and societal burden. In general, wait times for health care in Ontario are believed to be lengthy; however, many diseases lack specific corroborative wait time data.
objectiveTo characterize wait times for OSA care in Ontario.
methodsCross-sectional survey. A survey tool was designed and validated to question physicians involved in OSA care about the length of the wait times their patients experience while traversing a simplified model of OSA care. The survey was sent to all otolaryngologists and respirologists in the province, as well as to a random sample of provincial family physicians.
resultsPatients waited a mean of 11.6 months to initiate medical therapy (continuous positive airway pressure), and 16.2 months to initiate surgical therapy. Sleep laboratory availability appeared to be the major restriction in the patient management continuum, with each additional sleep laboratory in a community associated with a 20% decrease in overall wait times. Smaller community sizes were paradoxically associated with shorter wait times for sleep studies (P<0.01) but longer wait times for OSA surgery (P<0.05). Regression analysis yielded an r2 of 0.046; less than 5% of the wait time variance could be explained by the simplified model.
conclusionPatients experienced considerable wait times when undergoing management for OSA. This has implications for both individual patient care and public health in general.
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