Effects of COVID-19 on Sleep Services Use and Its Recovery.

Nat Sci Sleep

VA's Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D), Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.

Published: June 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted sleep testing services, with notable declines in utilization for both Home Sleep Apnea Testing (HSAT) and Polysomnography (PSG) across various stages of the pandemic.
  • A study of 261,371 veterans revealed PSG usage fell drastically during different pandemic phases, while HSAT saw an initial drop followed by a recovery and increase post-vaccination.
  • By analyzing data from the Veterans Health Administration between 2019 and 2023, the study concluded that HSAT became more prominent in sleep testing services, particularly after vaccination efforts began.

Article Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the utilization of various healthcare services differentially. Sleep testing services utilization (STU), including Home Sleep Apnea Testing (HSAT) and Polysomnography (PSG), were uniquely affected. We assessed the effects of the pandemic on STU and its recovery using the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) data.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective cohort study from the VHA between 01/2019 and 10/2023 of veterans with age ≥ 50. We extracted STU data using Current Procedural Terminology codes for five periods based on STU and vaccination status: pre-pandemic (Pre-Pan), pandemic sleep test moratorium (Pan-Mor), and pandemic pre-vaccination (Pan-Pre-Vax), vaccination (Pan-Vax), and postvaccination (Pan-Post-Vax). We compared STU between intervals (Pre-Pan as the reference).

Results: Among 261,371 veterans (63.7±9.6 years, BMI 31.9±6.0 kg/m², 80% male), PSG utilization decreased significantly during Pan-Mor (-56%), Pan-Pre-Vax (-61%), Pan-Vax (-42%), and Pan-Post-Vax (-36%) periods all compared to Pre-Pan. HSAT utilization decreased significantly during the Pan-Mor (-59%) and Pan-Pre-Vax (-9%) phases compared to the Pre-Pan and subsequently increased during Pan-Vax (+6%) and Pan-Post-Vax (-1%) periods. Over 70% of STU transitioned to HSAT, and its usage surged five months after the vaccine Introduction.

Conclusion: Sleep testing services utilization recovered differentially during the pandemic (PSG vs HSAT), including a surge in HSAT utilization post-vaccination.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11179655PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S456214DOI Listing

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