Sleep apnea healthcare management in dynamically changing times: Unlocking the potential of digitalization for better care of obstructive sleep apnea—in Germany and beyond

Abstract

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common chronic disorder and an independent risk factor for several health issues, with a high prevalence estimated at 30% for men and 13% for women in Germany. Objective: For both individual wellbeing and healthcare systems, efficient and effective diagnosis and treatment of OSA are essential. Actors and stations along the patient pathway that may strongly benefit from adoption of current and evolving digital methods and tools are to be identified. Materials and methods: This work analyzes an OSA patient’s pathway through the German healthcare system, as well as current developments in health informatics and patient involvement. Potential benefits are identified and a patient-centric integrated digital health system is conceptualized. Results: Digital health strategies of German and European governments emphasize the importance of connected healthcare for patient empowerment, efficient health systems, and innovations in healthcare. For OSA, in particular intersectoral sharing of health assessments and biosignal measurements can support physicians’ care and timely and adequate treatment. Furthermore, clinical decision-support systems including artificial intelligence may help in optimized patient-centric treatment by early detection of females suffering from OSA, OSA pheno- and endotypes, and patients at risk of abandoning treatments. However, bureaucratic and reimbursement barriers in legislation may slow down or even inhibit the implementation of a smart healthcare system. Conclusion: Current trends in connected digital healthcare, wearables, data-driven decision support, and patient participation offer many opportunities for significantly improving healthcare for OSA. However, many technical, organizational, and regulatory challenges are to be faced.