Evidence-based Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Primary Care

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is prevalent in children and adolescents and associated with a variety of negative consequences affecting health and cognitive functioning. While clinical guidelines outline effective strategies for the diagnosis and management of pediatric OSA, rates of screening, identification, and management in primary care settings remain low. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the use of a computer decision support system module (CHICA-OSA) designed to improve adherence to OSA guidelines in pediatric primary care clinics. All children ages 1-11 years will be screened for snoring and other symptoms of OSA in the waiting room prior to a visit to their primary care provider (PCP). In clinics randomly assigned to CHICA-OSA, caregivers of snoring children will report on additional OSA symptoms, and PCPs will receive automated prompts in the electronic health record (EHR) to provide evidence-based evaluation and appropriate referral for testing. For children sent for polysomnography (PSG), PCPs will receive automated prompts to reassess symptoms at the next visit. We hypothesize that clinics using CHICA-OSA will have better adherence to guidelines, as evidenced by higher rates of identifying OSAS, referral for PSG, and re-assessment following treatment.