OSAsense, developed by students of Technical Medicine at the University of Twente in collaboration with the Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST), is a pioneering tool that enables accelerated, simplified diagnosis of sleep apnea. The innovation consists of a saturation meter, a watch-like device for data storage and a digital questionnaire that allows patients to perform their own sleep studies at home. Michel Eijsvogel, pulmonologist at MST, emphasizes that OSAsense has reduced the number of unnecessary referrals to specialists by thirty percent.

Sleep apnea affects six to 10 percent of adults, with breathing frequently stalling during sleep. Previously, patients were often referred to specialists without a thorough examination option at the primary care physician's office. OSAsense has optimized this process by giving patients a saturation meter and a watch to take home for an overnight examination. The saturation meter measures the number of breaths per hour, with blood oxygen levels falling during these stops. Combined with a digital questionnaire, OSAsense provides the family physician with enough data for reliable screening for sleep apnea.

What sets OSAsense apart is not only the improved referral to specialists, but also the ability for family physicians to initiate treatments themselves in mild cases or low-risk sleep apnea.

Read more about OSAsense here in the extensive article written by the University of Twente.