Using the Electronic Medical Record to Improve Preoperative Identification of Patients at Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder found in surgical patients and associated with complications in the postoperative period. The implementation of a preoperative universal screening process using the STOP-BANG questionnaire to identify patients at high risk for OSA provides opportunities for improved management.

Design: A pre-post design was used to evaluate screening compliance rates.