OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The recognition of patients with obstructive sleep apnea is of paramount importance for anesthesia providers in anticipating potential complications associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and modifying the anesthetic plan to reduce adverse patient outcomes. Retrospective data was collected from a random sample of 100 patients with documentation of the three most predictive risk factors for OSA (BMI, age, male gender). Findings revealed that out of the 100 patients at risk for OSA, 51% did have a pre-operative diagnosis of OSA. In addition, only 21% of patients without a prior OSA diagnosis had a completed STOP-BANG questionnaire. Clinical care was compared to the American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Guidelines for the peri-operative management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea to identify the appropriateness of care. The gap analysis can guide future practice change implementation to improve patient safety and overall quality of care for surgical patients.