Obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] is found in 12 to 18 million adults in the US. It leads to several cardiovascular diseases but can be treated with a continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP] machine. There is limited data on CPAP compliance in Thai or oriental OSA patients particularly on personal experiences on CPAP use. The present study aimed to evaluate personal experience factors associated with CPAP adherence and duration of use in Thai OSA patients. The present study enrolled OSA patients who had their own CPAP machine. All eligible patients were requested to fill out a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised of eight parts; baseline characters, co-morbid diseases, CPAP features, feeling during CPAP use, side effects from CPAP, CPAP salesperson, knowledge on CPAP advantages, and overall CPAP experience evaluation. There were 44 OSA patients met the study criteria. There were three independent factors associated with CPAP adherence including feeling annoyed, fearing of mask off during the night, and high price. The adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of these three factors were 0.168 (0.029, 0.965), 0.137 (0.028, 0.983), and 10.032 (1.062, 94.757). Only male sex and fearing of mask off during the night were significantly associated with CPAP use in hours; average 6.47 hours. The adjusted coefficients and p-values of both factors were 1.604 (p-value = 0.016) and -0.969 (p-value = 0.005). In conclusion, personal experience of CPAP use influenced CPAP adherence and duration of CPAP use in OSA patients.

Keywords: Price, Compliance, Patient experience