GPs in Groningen are making extensive use of OSAsense, a device that can rule out apnea. This innovative tool, invented by doctors in Groningen and further developed by the University of Twente and the Medisch Spectrum Twente, acts as a smartwatch that patients wear while they sleep. Apnea, in which breathing stalls during sleep, can lead to oxygen dips and increased heart rate. OSAsense detects these dips through a patch on the finger that measures blood oxygen levels and heart rate.

Previously, patients with suspected sleep apnea were immediately referred to the hospital for extensive sleep studies with sensors and electrodes. OSAsense offers general practitioners an effective preliminary examination, reducing unnecessary referrals by 30 percent, according to general practitioner and co-inventor Tjitte Verbeek. The watch can rule out apnea with certainty, reducing unnecessary waiting lists for sleep centers.

Patients like Erik Vos are experiencing the benefits of OSAsense, where the watch can determine with certainty after a night's sleep whether further apnea examinations are needed. This efficient preliminary examination has convinced more than 120 general practices in Groningen and also in Twente to integrate OSAsense, and further expansion to Friesland and Drenthe is planned. The application falls within the basic reimbursement of health insurances, which which means no additional costs for patients. OSAsense offers not only convenience and efficiency for general practitioners, but also reassurance and faster diagnosis options for patients with sleep-related complaints.

Read more about OSAsense here in the extensive article written by RTV Noord.