Biguglygremlin

That was my thought too Sierra.

Would motion activated video still work?

All good guesses Ruby but we don't all live in the great USofA and in this tiny corner of the world insurance doesn't rule supreme ..... yet.

Once you raise the subject of insurance, work or licenses with all the issues of compliance nobody in their right mind would want cameras in their bedroom but we 'other world' dwellers haven't fully embraced those methods yet.

Home studies here are generally paid for by the patient so it would just be a matter of a bit more money. At least double would be my guess because of the equipment as well as the extra time taken to generate a report.

Even so, double the current rate would still be only a fraction of what a clinic based sleep study would cost.

All patient info is supposed to be private but I wonder how many patients would object anyway because who wants a complete stranger seeing those pink satin sheets and what about that cobweb in the far corner and what will he/she think of those batman pyjamas the kids bought for me and of course the most important problem of all, I simply don't know what to do with my hair! :O

Which brings us back to the logistics of it. Can you demonstrate the system clearly enough in a busy pharmacy to ensure that a confused, sleep deprived customer will be able to take it all home and set it up effectively?

It might boost home study sales if they also sold linen and pyjamas. :)

Why don't home studies include video surveillance?

Obviously I have more need than most to 'see' what is happening while I am sleeping but being able to observe positions and other responses or attitudes would surely be a beneficial diagnostic tool.

I understand there may be privacy issues but which part of a home study is not an invasion of privacy?

Is it just an issue of cost?

Or functionality? (not trusting the patient to set it up correctly)

Or current medical/legal definitions and requirements not being able to quantify it?

Or is it already out there and I'm too ignorant to realise it?

Well you have been busy jeffez

I don't understand most of it but I'm sure Sierra will. :)

Thank you martyP

I missed your post sorry.

This was the kind of info I was looking for.

What side effects did you have and what dosage?

Hi jeffez

Thanks for query and info.

Please let us know how it all works out.

I didn't mean to provoke this reaction although it speaks well of the team.

I had some time to kill in the dark hours before dawn and the surveys were something to do.

This forum (and this topic) has been yet another way to kill time before I went back to bed so there was no compulsion to "fix" the surveys.

For the following comments please remember that I have a very vague memory and no access to the surveys once they were done.

Obviously there are many constraints and a difficult balance to reach and I think the surveys are not far off that point.

I actually enjoyed doing the surveys because they were simple and succinct and yet protracted in the number and scope of questions.

I don't think it would hurt to extend the surveys but you certainly need to keep the questions simple.

Have you considered writing an introduction to the surveys defining your purposes. Usually, if I know the purpose of the team, I would know how to answer the questions. Or is that approach taboo?

Keeping the layout and questions simple is critical to your purposes and that is one reason why the staff member in the room is so beneficial because they can provide additional information when required.

I know it's a lot of work to set up but have you considered having an "Additional Information" tag for each (or at least some) of the online questions? Enabling you to keep the simplicity but still offer clarification for obtuse people like me?

Even without those considerations you could achieve a lot with just a slight shuffle and a few minor changes in the wording.

If I were in your shoes I would be very uncomfortable. :O

But if I were in your shoes, and I could ignore the pain, I would make a few minor adjustments then I would probably focus on getting more exposure and on expanding and clarifying the sections to do with information, diagnosis and treatment because they are the areas which, in my view, could deliver the most meaningful results. (Did I mention free chin straps for participants?)

I'm sure there are others less sleep deprived and much smarter than me who could offer more relevant suggestions.

As you have so tactfully stated you can't please everybody but you should be pleased with what you have already achieved. :)

Oh btw you can have the shoes back. They just don't match my outfit! :P

Well done Sierra!

Hi cristi229

It's a hard place to be in but if you persist it will get easier.

Many Apnea sufferers seem to go through similar experiences in the beginning.

Sometimes it's harder to get to sleep when you are worried about it and trying too hard.

Perhaps you should try something quiet like a dull book until the next wave kicks in.

I think that even restless sleep might be better than no sleep at all.

I get the impression that really low doses of Melatonin might be useful in your circumstances.

It might be worth reading up on.

The following observations are based on vague memories and general impressions.

I understand that this series of surveys is a sequence of preexisting questionnaires but there is something wrong in how they connect and how they function in conjunction with one another.

In three or four of those surveys I felt that I didn't belong, that the survey was asking the wrong questions or offering the wrong answers.

One simple example is a comprehensive series of questions about snoring which I simply cannot do whilst I am using a CPAP machine, which is all the time. This survey (from memory) is well before any surveys to do with CPAP therapy or compliance.

There needs to be a clear delineation at the start for CPAP users so that surveys like the one about snoring could be bypassed or replaced by equivalent CPAP user queries.

The survey related to removing the mask presumes that it is only with intent or due to forgetfulness or neglect and not due to simply knocking it off during the process of sleeping. The wording or the frequency options needs to be adjusted.

The questions about compliance penalties/rewards were totally irrelevant in my world and I don't want anything to do with the system that invokes it.

Emotional consequences are too subjective and too easily misconstrued. These surveys do not effectively allow for real limitations both in practical life and because of other health issues and although there is a box for 'other' health problems I doubt that they are taken into account when the scores are being generated.

The medical advice surveys toward the end were inadequate and vague in view or their potential applications. They needed to be far more detailed and more purposeful.

I may be an oddball but I am most certainly not the only one and it would only take a few minor adjustments to make these surveys feel more relevant and comprehensive and less intent on policing compliance.