Pneumologie out of the box – intersektorale moderne Diagnostik und Therapie in der Schlafmedizin

Sleep disorders are becoming increasingly more prevalent. In the field of respiratory sleep medicine, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most frequent organically related sleep disorder. Nocturnal positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the standard therapy and oral appliance therapy (OAT) has recently been funded by the statutory health insurance as a second-line therapy; however, positive effects on the symptoms and subsequent diseases can only be achieved with regular and long-term utilization of therapy. With increasing prevalence rates, there are supply issues in the existing care model leading to insufficient access to specialized care, which means long waiting times for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. This also affects follow-up procedures and treatment adherence. Innovative methods from the fields of e‑health and m‑health already offer smart solutions for currently still insufficiently addressed problems in sleep medicine. New sensor technology and applications for digital devices (apps) open up possibilities for more extensive screening of the widespread illness of sleep apnea. Cloud-based telemedicine concepts can help affected patients to gain access to sleep medical expertise at any stage and as required as part of established stepwise diagnostics and to improve interdisciplinary communication. Telemonitoring can also be used to identify patients with treatment problems at an early stage. This can reduce treatment termination rates and help the timely identification of patients for alternative therapies. Ultimately, all these methods will only become established and benefit patients if they support and relieve experts in sleep medicine in the daily practice and are meaningfully incorporated into existing care processes and the remuneration.