Recent work has highlighted prevalent obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Given that sleep is critical for neural repair and that disordered sleep may play a role in slowing functional recovery and prolonging rehabilitation, stakeholder input has shown that early detection of sleep apnea is critical. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Comparative Effectiveness Review highlighted insufficient comparative-effectiveness evidence for sleep apnea diagnostic and screening tools. We conducted a prospective observational cohort study on inpatient rehabilitation units at 6 TBI Model System (TBIMS) sites. The diagnostic utility of existing sleep studies is needed to inform identification of OSA during acute recovery from TBI.
