Use of vouchers for CPAP therapy initiation - public and private health care could work together.

Purpose: The increasing incidence of sleep apnea has led to an increased workload for healthcare professionals. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard therapy for obstructive sleep apnea. To reduce the CPAP waiting list in public healthcare, we proposed a CPAP voucher for use in private clinics for CPAP initiation.

The prevalence of non-invasive ventilation and long-term oxygen treatment in Helsinki University Hospital area, Finland.

Background: Chronic respiratory failure (CRF) can be treated at home with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and/or long-term oxygen (LTOT). The prevalence of these treatments is largely unknown. We aimed to clarify the prevalence and indications of the treatments, and the three-year mortality of the treated patients in the Helsinki University Hospital (HUH) area in Finland.

Home invasive mechanical ventilation in Finland in 2015-2019.

Introduction: The prevalence of long-term invasive mechanical ventilation tracheostomy in chronic respiratory insufficiency is largely unknown. We aimed to clarify prevalence and aetiology of the use of home invasive mechanical ventilation (HIMV) in Finland in 2015-2019.

Methods: Information on HIMV patients was collected yearly from all Finnish Hospital District patient registries between 1 January 2015 and 1 January 2019.

Validation of the Finnish severe respiratory insufficiency questionnaire.

Introduction: Chronic respiratory insufficiency impacts patients' lives and reduces quality of life. The Severe Respiratory Insufficiency (SRI) questionnaire examines health-related quality of life and is designed specifically for patients receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV) for chronic respiratory failure (CRF).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the Finnish version of the SRI and study its reproducibility in patients with CRF.

Symptoms During CPAP Therapy Are the Major Reason for Contacting the Sleep Unit Between Two Routine Contacts.

Study Objectives: The demand for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy outpaces available resources in most health care settings. We sought to evaluate predictors of nonroutine CPAP follow-up visits to improve resource utilization.

Methods: We randomly analyzed 1,141 of the 2,446 patients who had received at least 1 year of CPAP therapy.