Treatment preferences and willingness to pay in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: relevance of treatment experience.

Background: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) most commonly receive positive airway pressure therapy (PAP) as primary treatment, which is highly effective when used consistently. Little is known about the preferences for and relevance of attributes of OSA treatments, especially of non-PAP alternatives. The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) among patients with and without previous experience of OSA therapies.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment and a structured survey were applied to patients presenting for overnight polysomnography at a tertiary sleep center. Medical variables were obtained from hospital case records.

Results: Over a period of 4 months, 241 subjects were enrolled and answered the questionnaire (61.8% with an existing diagnosis, 38.2% with a new diagnosis). The most preferred treatment among all patients was PAP therapy (51.1%), followed by mandibular advancement devices (18.1%), hypoglossal nerve stimulation (17.2%), and medication (13.7%). Approval for the different treatments varied by gender as well as by OSA therapy experience. The importance of attributes of OSA treatment varied too, with low rates of treatment-related side effects being equally important, independent of the preferred therapy. The most often stated monthly WTP for optimal sleep was € 50, with increasing age leading to lower WTP values.

Conclusion: Preferences for OSA therapies vary among patients and patient subgroups. PAP therapy is the most preferred treatment, though non-PAP interventions receive high approval ratings too, particularly in treatment-naïve patients. The importance of treatment attributes varies as well, depending on the choice of preferred treatment.