News
New data demonstrate medical and health‑economic benefits of digital sleep apnea screening
— Analysis shows significant patient benefit and substantial cost‑saving potential through early digital screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
— Digital, smartphone‑based solutions enable systematic, low‑threshold screening
— More than 20 percent of the adult population in Germany are affected by obstructive sleep apnea requiring treatment
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a widespread, chronic condition that often remains undiagnosed for long periods and can lead to serious comorbidities such as hypertension or diabetes. Sleep apnea episodes are breathing pauses of up to one minute, during which the body receives less oxygen. These pauses can occur several hundred times per night and may have substantial health consequences. The risk of stroke is doubled and the risk of heart attack is fourfold increased. This can lead to severe health outcomes and significant costs for healthcare systems. Studies indicate that more than 20% of the adult population in Germany suffer from obstructive sleep apnea requiring treatment.
New health‑economic data now show that systematic, low‑threshold screening can not only significantly improve patients’ quality of life and medical prognosis, but also sustainably relieve the healthcare system. For example, unnecessary diagnostic procedures can be reduced, affected individuals requiring treatment can be identified earlier, and costly secondary diseases can be prevented.
The results originate from a recent study presented at the European Congress of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and now published in the journal Value in Health. Researchers from the University of Duisburg‑Essen and the Technical University of Munich analyzed the impact of early OSA screening from the perspective of the German statutory health insurance system using a health‑economic Markov model based on data from large peer‑reviewed clinical studies and healthcare databases.
The study, based on clinical data from Germany, shows that structured screening using a smartphone app approved as a medical device is economically meaningful: over a ten‑year period, direct healthcare costs per patient could be reduced by up to 18 percent, while health‑related quality of life (QALYs) could increase by up to 20 percent. Clinically relevant events such as heart attacks, strokes, and traffic accidents could also be significantly reduced through early OSA screening.
Digital screening creates clinical and economic value
The ISPOR study demonstrates that structured digital screening for obstructive sleep apnea offers substantial medical and health‑economic benefits. By using a medical‑device‑approved app available on standard smartphones, individuals with a clinically relevant suspicion of sleep apnea can be identified in a targeted manner. These individuals can then undergo further specialist diagnostic evaluation. In light of long waiting times in sleep laboratories, a growing shortage of specialists, and increasing disease prevalence, digital screening contributes to more efficient allocation of diagnostic resources and optimization of patient care within the healthcare system.
“The positive effects of screening occur on several levels,” explains first author Dr. Marcel Braun, health economist at the Chair of Sleep and Telemedicine at the University of Duisburg‑Essen. “In the long term, costly chronic comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes can be reduced. At the same time, the healthcare system can benefit in the short term because scarce diagnostic resources can be used more efficiently and patients receive a definitive diagnosis earlier.”
Digital screening solutions reduce access barriers
A key prerequisite for broad screening is easy access. Digital smartphone‑based solutions offer decisive advantages here, as they require no additional hardware and can be integrated into everyday life with minimal barriers.
“Acceptance is particularly high when screening can be performed without body‑attached sensors and is easy to use,” says Dr. Christoph Janott, co‑author of the study and Head of Research in Acoustic Biosignal Processing at the Potsdam‑based digital health company Diametos.
With the Snorefox app, a medical‑device‑certified solution is now available whose performance has been demonstrated in clinical studies. Several statutory health insurance providers already reimburse the cost of its use.
Relevance for health insurers and healthcare systems
The study results demonstrate that digital sleep apnea screening can be meaningful from both a medical and health‑economic perspective. Particularly in the context of limited diagnostic capacities and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, early screening opens new opportunities to make healthcare delivery more efficient, sustainable, and cost‑effective.
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About Diametos
Diametos is a Germany‑based digital health company developing medical software solutions for the analysis of snoring causes and the risk assessment of obstructive sleep apnea. The Company’s goal is to improve the efficiency and cost‑effectiveness of care for sleep‑related breathing disorders through evidence‑based digital approaches.
The Company’s flagship product, the Snorefox app, is currently the only medical‑device‑certified digital solution on the market whose performance has been demonstrated in clinical studies.