Family Physicians' Recognition and Management of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Aim: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) affects approximately 1-10% of children. Nevertheless childhood OSA has not seen much interest and care about as much as adults by physicians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the recognition and management skills on the childhood OSA of family physicians. Material and methods: The OSAKA-KIDS questionnaire was applied to 95 family physicians who were asked if he/she would be willing to take part in the study by phone. The OSAKA-KIDS has 23-item questionnaire. While the first 18 questions of it assess the knowledge of physicians; the last 5 questions assess the attitudes of regarding childhood OSA. Associations between knowledge and attitude scores and variables were analyzed. Results: The mean total knowledge score was 72.2%. The level of family practitioners who thought that OSA represents a significant clinical problem was the same as that of those who regarded it as important to identify children with suspected OSA (89.5%). The level of those saying they could identify children with OSA was 30.6% (n=29). The level of those saying they could manage a child with OSA was 32.6% (n=31). Sixty-two percent of those saying they could diagnose children with OSA (n=18) also said they could manage pediatric OSA patients. The level of those confident in their abilities to manage children with OSA receiving CPAP therapy was 11.6% (n=11). Conclusion: This study highlights the need for more focused education on childhood OSA within undergraduate and post-graduate training programs for family physicians.