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Over-prescription matters with things like opioids or other habit-forming medications, or medications that have a negative effect after sustained use. Getting u
by rc5150 3y ago
Over-prescription matters with things like opioids or other habit-forming medications, or medications that have a negative effect after sustained use. Getting unobstructed oxygen intake during sleep is not something that should be policed even if the patient doesn't necessarily "need it". Furthermore, as others have mentioned, you need a sleep study to get a prescription for it.
You're looking for a problem where there really isn't one.
- onemoresoop 3y agoPharma/med are run like a business so there's always in incentive to squeeze in as much as profit as possible. Not saying that CPAP are overprescribed because I really have no evidence of that but it's surely possible.
- pixl97 3y agoI mean, it is possible if you take the most cynical outlook and avoid looking at any other evidence. Now, I would counter that a number of significant changes have occurred, some mentioned in this thread already... 1. Increase in obesity rate... yea, not good for health and is a causation. 2. Increase in user monitoring technology. My watch for example shows wakefullness and blood oxygen levels. Alerts from this may be sending more people to the doctor. 3. More doctor awareness of dangers of sleep apnea leading to more testing. None of those need a vast conspiracy to cause increase diagnosis.
- malfist 3y agoNot everything is a conspiracy. It's also highly unlikely that a doctor prescribing a sleep apnea machine gets any sort of kick back for "selling" the device.
- nisegami 3y agoBut doctors do generally get a ton of follow up visits to tune the patient's settings, so there is an incentive there. It doesn't have to be a conspiracy (in the literal sense) if everyone acting in their own interests brings about the same result.
- malfist 3y agoThe days of doctor owned practices are largely over. Doctors don't make money from additional visits, they're probably already booked out and over worked.
- p_l 3y agoModern CPAP machines don't require any follow up visits for tuning, and often initial setup will be done remotely on rented machine.