The Misericordia Respiratory Care Program opened its Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) clinic in March, 1996 in response to the needs of patients in its Sleep Diagnostics Program. There are no other CPAP clinics in Northern Alberta, and in fact the only other clinic in the province is at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary.

Take a look at some of the Clinic Milestones

The focus of the Misericordia CPAP clinic is:

• Educating new CPAP patients on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
• Custom mask fitting
• Appropriate equipment selection
• Incorporating a loaner program for masks and machines
• Trouble shooting equipment
• Follow-up of CPAP patients, and
• Measurement of compliance and outcomes

Establishing a Standard of Practice that will serve as a benchmark in the initiation of CPAP therapy, care and management of sleep apnea patients is a key objective for the clinic. Our goal is to provide patients with consistent standardized instructions and information about OSA and CPAP . They also receive impartial information regarding various types of equipment and about those who can meet their individual needs.

Currently, there are many inconsistencies in practice. The present system lacks continuity in the initiation of CPAP therapy, education, compliance, support and patient follow-up with regard to outcome.

It is suspected that these inconsistencies could bear major impact on patient compliance and failure to receive optimal benefit from therapy. Upon investigation, there is no current published literature which determines a Standard of Practice in the initiation, subsequent treatment and follow-up of CPAP patients and no documented means to measure therapeutic outcome.

The most appropriate method to address these concerns was to develop a clinic and undertake a comprehensive CPAP Patient Compliance Study.

Patients in the Misericordia CPAP Clinic will be seen prior to initiation of CPAP and followed up post CPAP initiation at 2-4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year intervals. The patients will have access to a 24-hour CPAP trouble shooting telephone line to enable immediate intervention should problems arise.