Trial reportPloS one2019
Comprehensive management of obstructive sleep apnea by telemedicine: Clinical improvement and cost-effectiveness of a Virtual Sleep Unit. A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Home-testing devices for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome - a systematic review and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Content Comparison of Quality-of-Life Instruments Used in Economic Evaluations of Sleep Disorder Interventions: A Systematic Review.PharmacoEconomics · 2024Pooled it
- Virtual consultations for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2022Pooled it
- The cost-effectiveness of digital health interventions: A systematic review of the literature.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Domains and Methods Used to Assess Home Telemonitoring Scalability: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Pooled it
- Telemedicine management of obstructive sleep apnea disorder in China: a randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2024Trial
- Annual Versus Patient-Initiated Follow-Up in Sleep Apnoea Care: A Quasi-Experimental Study.Journal of sleep research · 2026Article
- Identifying and Comparing Intervention Cost Components in Remote Patient Monitoring: A Scoping Review.PharmacoEconomics · 2026Article
- Severe obstructive sleep apnoea can be accurately diagnosed in primary care centres.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- Distance follow-up by a remote medical care centre improves adherence to CPAP in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea over the short and long term.Journal of telemedicine and telecare · 2025Article
- Optimizing Positive Airway Pressure Compliance and Outcomes in Rural Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Through Telehealth.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Cost-effectiveness of CPAP treatment in a tax-funded healthcare system - a scoping review and suggestions for cost reduction of CPAP treatment.European clinical respiratory journal · 2025Review
- Redefining telemedicine in obstructive sleep apnea management through artificial intelligence.Frontiers in sleep · 2025Article
- [Home CPAP Remote Monitoring as a System to Control Adaptation and Titration in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and its Impact on the Management of this Pathology (T-CPAP Project)].Open respiratory archives · 2024Article
- Economic evaluation of remote patient monitoring and organizational analysis according to patient involvement: a scoping review.International journal of technology assessment in health care · 2023Article
- Accuracy of positive airway pressure titration through telemonitoring of auto-adjusting positive airway pressure device connected to a pulse oximetry in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.The clinical respiratory journal · 2023Article
- International Consensus Statement on Obstructive Sleep Apnea.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2023Review
- Subjective HRQoL in Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome Who Underwent PAP Therapy in a Rehabilitation Setting: A Longitudinal Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Telemedicine and virtual respiratory care in the era of COVID-19.ERJ open research · 2022Review
- Economic evaluation of CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea: a scoping review and evidence map.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent disease associated with significant morbidity and high healthcare costs. Information and communication technology could offer cost-effective management options.
objectivesTo evaluate an out-of-hospital Virtual Sleep Unit (VSU) based on telemedicine to manage all patients with suspected OSA, including those with and without continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.
methodsThis was an open randomized controlled trial. Patients with suspected OSA were randomized to hospital routine (HR) or VSU groups to compare the clinical improvement and cost-effectiveness in a non-inferiority analysis. Improvement was assessed by changes in the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire (QSQ), EuroQol (EQ-5D and EQ-VAS), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The follow-up was 3 months. Cost-effectiveness was assessed by a Bayesian analysis based on quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).
resultsThe HR group (n: 92; 78% OSA, 57% CPAP) compared with the VSU group (n: 94; 83% OSA, 43% CPAP) showed: CPAP compliance was similar in both groups, the QSQ social interactions domain improved significantly more in the HR group whereas the EQ-VAS improved more in the VSU group. Total and OSA-related costs were lower in the VSU group than the HR. The Bayesian cost-effectiveness analysis showed that VSU was cost-effective for a wide range of willingness to pay for QALYs.
conclusionsThe VSU offered a cost-effective means of improving QALYs than HR. However, the assessment of its clinical improvement was influenced by the choice of the questionnaire; hence, additional measurements of clinical improvement are needed. Our findings indicate that VSU could help with the management of many patients, irrespective of CPAP use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.