The Role of Primary Care Providers in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Experts highlight the critical importance of early detection, comprehensive diagnosis, personalized treatment, and ongoing support in managing obstructive sleep apnea effectively across diverse clinical settings.

EP. 1: Overview of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

September 29th 2025

Experts discuss the widespread underdiagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), emphasizing its significant impact on quality of life and comorbid conditions, the critical role of primary care in early detection, the importance of family input in recognizing symptoms, and the need for proactive, multidisciplinary strategies to ensure timely diagnosis and effective management.

EP. 2: Identifying Obstructive Sleep Apnea

September 29th 2025

Experts discuss the utility of the STOP-Bang questionnaire as a simple, sensitive screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in primary care, highlighting its strengths and limitations, the importance of clinical judgment in interpreting results, and the value of complementary tools such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in supporting a comprehensive, patient-centered approach to OSA diagnosis and management.

EP. 3: Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

October 6th 2025

Experts discuss the evolving role of home-based sleep testing in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), noting its growing popularity due to convenience and patient comfort, while emphasizing that device simplicity, patient education, and pretest probability are key to reliability—though in-lab polysomnography remains essential for complex or comorbid cases, underscoring the complementary value of both approaches in modern sleep medicine.

EP. 4: Lab Vs Home-Based Testing for Sleep Apnea

October 6th 2025

Experts discuss the importance of in-lab sleep studies for patients with significant comorbidities or complex sleep disorders such as parasomnias, emphasizing the comprehensive monitoring and technician oversight they provide, as well as their role in confirming or clarifying home test results; they also highlight that clear patient instructions and maintaining usual routines are vital to ensuring accurate and reliable sleep study outcomes.