Screen for sleep apnoea in the workplace, UK researchers conclude
Screening for obstructive sleep apnoea should be done in the workplace particularly in risky occupations like lorry or train drivers, researchers have suggested.
It comes after a study modelling the impact of the sleep apnoea in adults of working age found an annual productivity loss of up to £4.22bn in the UK.
The analysis looked at census data in the UK and US alongside questionnaire responses about breathing pauses at night and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Writing in Thorax they estimated a prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea of 19.5% in the UK.
Looking at adults of working age only this equated to a prevalence of 7%. Other studies suggest that a large proportion of people – as many as 85% – are likely to be undiagnosed.
A productivity loss for each affected worker of around £1840 every year is more than the estimated cost of £1363 per patient of CPAP treatment and associated healthcare costs, the researchers added.
In the US, the burden of the condition is as high as 30% of among working age adults.
Workplace screening would be particularly important in occupations where daytime sleepiness is a risk. A trial could look at the difference in outcomes with a screened versus standard care group, a linked editorial notes.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for obstructive sleep apnoea already suggests people who are drivers, train drivers, pilots and surgeons should be rapidly assessed for the condition.
‘Given the significant yet often-overlooked burden of OSA syndrome and its economic impact, we urge policymakers to allocate resources towards developing an effective screening strategy and implementing targeted public health campaigns and policies,’ the researchers said.
‘Importantly, treatment options for individuals with [obstructive sleep apnoea] are also improving with better CPAP adherence interventions on the horizon and new non-CPAP therapies, notably GLP-1 agonism.
‘We suggest the time is now approaching for a trial of workplace screening in an exemplar high-risk occupational group.’
The team acknowledged that some workers may fear being penalised if they cannot tolerate treatment and suggest any successful screening programme should offer some form of employment guarantee.
In response to the study, the Sleep Apnoea Trust said: ‘It is very important that workplaces support their employees by not penalising them if they come forward, and that employers make the necessary adjustments while employees go through the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment.
‘The trust welcomes consideration of screening programmes, and this raises the challenge to boost funding of existing and emerging treatments to meet the increased demands on services from screening.’
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