Pharmacy Daily | Could it be sleep apnoea?

SLEEP apnoea is a relatively common condition, affecting an estimated 5-20% of the adult population, including a significant number of people who are unaware that they have it.

Untreated sleep apnoea can have long-term health consequences, particularly cardiovascular issues.

With common comorbidities that include hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, pharmacists may come across patients filling their scripts who are at risk of sleep apnoea.

Enquiring about daytime sleepiness, snoring, and other symptoms such as headaches and tightness of the throat, could suggest a risk of sleep apnoea, and there are clinically validated screening questionnaires that patients can complete to determine risk (see HERE).

If a patient does appear to have a risk of sleep apnoea, the next step is diagnosis.

For a long time, the main option was a formal test in a sleep clinic or hospital under the supervision of sleep specialists or technicians, where the patient wears a number of electrodes and has their sleep monitored overnight.

A more recent option is an in-home test that comprises a wireless electrode worn on the forehead, with data collected by mobile phone sent to a sleep physician.

Developed by Australian medical tech company Compumedics, the system is available in pharmacies through Pharmacy Sleep Services, a Philips Healthcare company, following Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) guidelines for sleep apnoea services.

Shehaan Fernando, Business Leader for Sleep and Respiratory Care at Philips, said the test costs $129, which covers the electrode and the sleep physician's report.

It is not reimbursed by Medicare, but many patients are willing to pay rather than go through the process of getting a GP referral and going to a sleep physician, Fernando said.

"Some of the biggest uptake is through rural pharmacies, where patients don't have easy access to GPs and specialists," Fernando said.

If sleep apnoea is confirmed, pharmacists can also supply a CPAP device and mask from leading brands such as Philips, Fisher & Paykel and ResMed.

While CPAP is a very effective treatment, adherence is a major issue, and it may take some trial and error on the part of the patient to find the right mask and machine.

"Fourteen days is a great predictor of your long-term adoption of the therapy, and if you didn't do well in that first 14 days, your chances of staying in long-term therapy become substantially lower," Fernando explained.

Pharmacists are able to support patients through the adoption of CPAP treatment, and thanks to shared data, monitor sleep and breathing metrics, mask leakage, adherence and other measures.

"Treating sleep is part of managing the health and wellbeing of pharmacy customers who are also coming in for their prescription needs and medication management," Fernando said.

Learn more about Pharmacy Sleep Services HERE. KB