Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39436398›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine2025

Access and models of obstructive sleep apnea care: a cross-national comparison of Canadian and Australian patient survey data.

Duaa Fatima, Alexander Sweetman, Nicole Lovato, Andrew Vakulin, Nick Bansback, Marcus Povitz, Nigel Stocks, Mark Fenton, Ching Li Chai-Coetzer, Sachin R Pendharkar

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Duaa FatimaDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Alexander SweetmanAdelaide Institute for Sleep Health/FHMRI Sleep Health, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Nicole LovatoAdelaide Institute for Sleep Health/FHMRI Sleep Health, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Andrew VakulinAdelaide Institute for Sleep Health/FHMRI Sleep Health, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Nick BansbackSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Marcus PovitzDepartment of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Nigel StocksNational Centre for Sleep Health Services Research, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Mark FentonDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Ching Li Chai-CoetzerAdelaide Institute for Sleep Health/FHMRI Sleep Health, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Sachin R PendharkarDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

objectivesWe aimed to describe similarities and differences in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) care pathways and their impact on patients in Australia and Canada, including among urban vs rural participants.

methodsIn this secondary data analysis of patient surveys exploring OSA care in Australia and Canada, we recruited adults with a prior diagnosis of OSA from market research companies, social media, and patient-facing medical associations. Residential postal codes were used to classify participants as urban or rural. Survey domains included wait times and travel distances for care, providers, and treatments.

resultsData from 589 Canadians (21% rural; 42% female; mean [standard deviation] age = 57 [13] years) and 412 Australians (38% rural; 45% female; mean [standard deviation] age = 58 [14] years) with OSA were included. Participants in both countries most commonly sought initial care for suspected OSA from a primary care practitioner. Canadian participants waited longer to seek care than Australian participants (37% vs 51% within 12 months of symptom onset). Wait times for diagnostic testing were longer in Canada (59% vs 76% within 3 months of initial assessment), especially in urban settings (58% vs 78%). In both countries, > 80% of participants were offered positive airway pressure therapy. Overall, a greater variety of treatments were offered and used by Australian participants.

conclusionsGreater access to diagnostic testing and a greater variety of treatments were found in Australia compared to Canada. Further research is needed to determine whether reduced diagnostic wait times and presentation of increased therapy options found in Australia translate to better patient outcomes. CITATION: Fatima D, Sweetman A, Lovato N, et al. Access and models of obstructive sleep apnea care: a cross-national comparison of Canadian and Australian patient survey data.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilitySleep Apnea, ObstructiveAdultAgedAustraliaCanadaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRural PopulationSurveys and QuestionnairesUrban Populationaccess to carehealth care deliveryhealth servicesobstructive sleep apnearural population

Identifiers

PMID39436398
PMCPMC11874085

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.