TY - JOUR T1 - Virtual consultations for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis JF - European Respiratory Review JO - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW DO - 10.1183/16000617.0180-2022 VL - 31 IS - 166 SP - 220180 AU - Sulaiman S. Alsaif AU - Julia L. Kelly AU - Stuart Little AU - Hilary Pinnock AU - Mary J. Morrell AU - Michael I. Polkey AU - Phyllis Murphie Y1 - 2022/12/31 UR - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/31/166/220180.abstract N2 - Background The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of virtual care strategies for the management of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS).Research question What is the effectiveness of virtual consultations compared to in-person consultations for the management of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in adult patients with OSAHS?Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO; CRD42022297532) based on six electronic databases plus manually selected journals was conducted in January 2022. Two researchers independently selected, quality appraised and extracted data. The co-primary outcomes were patient-reported sleepiness, assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and reported cost-effectiveness.Results 12 studies (n=1823 adults) were included in the review. Seven studies (n=1089) were included in the meta-analysis which showed no difference in the magnitude of improvement in patient-reported sleepiness scores between virtual and in-person consultations (mean difference −0.39, 95% CI −1.38–0.60; p=0.4), although ESS scores improved in both groups. Virtual care strategies modestly increased CPAP therapy adherence and were found to be less costly than in-person care strategies in the three Spanish trials that reported cost-effectiveness.Conclusion The findings of this review suggest that virtual care delivered by telephone or video consultations is as effective as in-person consultations for improving subjective sleepiness in patients with OSAHS treated with CPAP. This clinical management strategy may also improve CPAP adherence without increasing the costs, supporting its potential as a follow-up management strategy, where patients prefer this approach.Virtual consultations are as effective as in-person consultations for follow-up management of adult patients with obstructive sleep apnoea treated with continuous positive airway pressure. Moreover, this healthcare strategy appears to be cost-effective. https://bit.ly/3UuyU3M ER -