Objectives: This survey sought to determine whether self-professed sleep specialists in the State of Michigan show practice variations in the diagnosis and management of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), and whether such variations occur between pulmonologists and neurologists.
Methods: Questionnaires on practice volume and patterns during the prior 12 months were mailed to physician members of the Michigan Sleep Disorders Association ( n = 119); 67 were completed and returned.
Results: Respondents reported that they personally saw a median of 8 new patients each week for suspected SDB; estimates were that 86% of these patients were eventually confirmed to have SDB. Most patients (82%) had laboratory-based polysomnography after an initial clinic evaluation, and most (69%) of those treated for SDB received continuous positive airway pressure. However, practice patterns differed substantially among respondents, even when the analysis was limited to the 42 who reported board certification by the American Board of Sleep Medicine. For example, among all surveyed practices the likelihood that suspected SDB would be evaluated with a split-night diagnostic and treatment polysomnogram varied from 0 to 90%. The likelihood of SDB treatment with bilevel positive airway pressure varied from 0 to 50%, with automatically titrating devices from 0 to 100%, with surgery from 0 to 100% (0 to 50% among certified practitioners), and with oral appliances from 0 to 20%. The practice patterns of pulmonologists and neurologists did not differ significantly.
Conclusion: Approaches to SDB vary widely in Michigan, though not according to clinician background in pulmonary medicine or neurology. A patient's experience, in both assessment and treatment, could differ substantially based on which clinician is consulted.