Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are 2 major chronic conditions that affect millions of Americans. When OSA and COPD coexist, they are collectively referred to as “overlap syndrome.” OSA is prevalent in 10% to 15% of the 15 million patients diagnosed with COPD. Patients with both conditions are commonly prescribed medical devices for management, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for OSA, and oxygen therapy for COPD. Because our early work found that most patients with OS use CPAP but a relatively low percentage of them use oxygen therapy, this study focused on improving the use of CPAP. Although CPAP is the most efficacious treatment for OSA, its use by patients is low relative to the prescription to use CPAP whenever asleep. Suboptimally treated OSA impairs next-day functioning.
