Exploring the motivation and needs of sleep apnea patients: Insights from focus group interviews

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a critical problem. Educational, supportive and behavioral interventions may help people with OSA to maintain regular and continued use of CPAP. <bold>Aim:</bold> To gain insight on patients with OSAs illness and treatment history, motivational factors and barriers as well as need for support in everyday life, in order to maintain long-term treatment motivation. <bold>Methods:</bold> This study constitutes one of four sub-studies in an overall PhD project. In this sub-study, the project has conducted 4 focus group interviews, and 8 single interviews with a total of 21 OSA patients. The focal point for each interview was to explore OSA patients´ motivation and needs in everyday life, and the subsequent analysis was carried out with thematic analysis (Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 1. January 2006;3(2):77–101.). <bold>Results:</bold> Preliminary results from the analysis reveals that OSA patients' long-term treatment motivation is primarily influenced by their perceived self-efficacy, and that the patients' self-efficacy is largely challenged or supported by the first contact with the healthcare system, which thus has a decisive function that goes beyond the initiation of treatment. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Overall, the findings from this project highlight the importance of addressing OSA patients' motivation and self-efficacy in promoting CPAP adherence. An educational intervention that target these factors have the potential to improve long-term treatment outcomes for individuals with OSA.