Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38169439›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine2024

Inequalities in the access to diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Luciano F Drager, Ronaldo B Santos, Daniela Pachito, Claudia S Albertini, Fatima H Sert Kuniyoshi, Alan L Eckeli

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Day-time split study for management of obstructive sleep apnoea: Proof of concept study.Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Luciano F DragerUnidades de Hipertensão, Instituto do Coração (InCor) e Disciplina de Nefrologia, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Ronaldo B SantosHospital Universitário, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Daniela PachitoProssono, Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Claudia S AlbertiniLaboratório do Sono, Divisão de Pneumologia, Instituto do Coração (InCor), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Fatima H Sert KuniyoshiResMed Science Center, San Diego, California.
Alan L EckeliDepartamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo · BRBrazilian Medical Association · BRHospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo · BRResMed (United States) · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

objectivesObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent, and positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the primary treatment. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic and PAP treatment resources for OSA within Brazil's Unified Health System and to identify potential inequalities and gaps.

methodsA structured survey was sent to members of the Brazilian Sleep Association and the Brazilian Association of Sleep Medicine to identify sleep laboratories providing OSA diagnosis and/or treatment within Brazil's Unified Health System. The numbers of centers, care team structure, sleep studies availability, PAP accessibility, and follow-up services were characterized in all 5 Brazilian regions.

resultsForty-seven centers were identified: Midwest (n = 4), Northeast (n = 10), North (n = 3), Southeast (n = 22), and South (n = 8). Most centers (70%) provided both OSA diagnosis and treatment, mainly in capitals and/or metropolises (87%). Ten out of 27 Brazilian Federal Units lacked sleep services for OSA management, with the North having the highest proportion of states without a sleep service (71%). The annual number of diagnostic exams for OSA was 14,932, with significant heterogeneity across regions (Midwest: 240; North: 400; Northeast: 3,564; South: 4,380; Southeast: 6,348). Mean waiting times for diagnosis and treatment were 11 and 8 months, respectively. Only 46% of PAP treatments were publicly funded, making legal injunctions and out-of-pocket expenditure common practices.

conclusionsThis study revealed significant disparities in OSA diagnosis and treatment resources across Brazil, with the North region being particularly underserved. The findings underscore an urgent need for strategies to improve sleep care nationwide. CITATION: Drager LF, Santos RB, Pachito D, Albertini CS, Sert Kuniyoshi FH, Eckeli AL. Inequalities in the access to diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Indexed as

Healthcare DisparitiesHealth Services AccessibilitySleep Apnea, ObstructiveBrazilContinuous Positive Airway PressureCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and Questionnaireshealth services accessibilityobstructivepolysomnographypositive airway pressuresleep apnea

Identifiers

PMID38169439
PMCPMC11063704
OpenAlexW4390533812

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.