Versorgung der Schlafapnoe in sich dynamisch verändernden Zeiten: Das Potenzial der Digitalisierung für eine bessere Behandlung der obstruktiven Schlafapnoe nutzen – in Deutschland und darüber hinaus

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Dagmar Krefting - , University of Göttingen (Author)
  • Michael Arzt - , University of Regensburg (Author)
  • Joachim T. Maurer - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Thomas Penzel - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Fabian Prasser - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Martin Sedlmayr - , Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry (Author)
  • Christoph Schöbel - , University of Duisburg-Essen (Author)

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic disorder and an independent risk factor for several health issues, with a high prevalence estimated at 30% for men and 13% for women in Germany. Objective: For both individual wellbeing and healthcare systems, efficient and effective diagnosis and treatment of OSA are essential. Actors and stations along the patient pathway that may strongly benefit from adoption of current and evolving digital methods and tools are to be identified. Materials and methods: This work analyzes an OSA patient’s pathway through the German healthcare system, as well as current developments in health informatics and patient involvement. Potential benefits are identified and a patient-centric integrated digital health system is conceptualized. Results: Digital health strategies of German and European governments emphasize the importance of connected healthcare for patient empowerment, efficient health systems, and innovations in healthcare. For OSA, in particular intersectoral sharing of health assessments and biosignal measurements can support physicians’ care and timely and adequate treatment. Furthermore, clinical decision-support systems including artificial intelligence may help in optimized patient-centric treatment by early detection of females suffering from OSA, OSA pheno- and endotypes, and patients at risk of abandoning treatments. However, bureaucratic and reimbursement barriers in legislation may slow down or even inhibit the implementation of a smart healthcare system. Conclusion: Current trends in connected digital healthcare, wearables, data-driven decision support, and patient participation offer many opportunities for significantly improving healthcare for OSA. However, many technical, organizational, and regulatory challenges are to be faced.

Translated title of the contribution
Sleep apnea healthcare management in dynamically changing times
Unlocking the potential of digitalization for better care of obstructive sleep apnea—in Germany and beyond

Details

Original languageGerman
Pages (from-to)248-254
Number of pages7
JournalSomnologie
Volume27
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-9888-8460/work/149439386
Mendeley 9cdc1965-01a9-3630-9d7f-31dd1a4bf86f

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Digital technology, Intersectoral collaboration, Obstructive sleep apnea, Patient participation, Wearable electronic devices, Digital technology, Intersectoral collaboration, Obstructive sleep apnea, Patient participation, Wearable electronic devices