Becoming a team: Findings from a grounded theory study about living with CPAP

Abstract

Untreated sleep apnoea incurs significant health costs. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a recognised, cost-effective treatment that can be challenging for users and about which there is limited evidence from the users’ perspective. Therefore, we aimed to explore experiences of living with this therapy from participants’ perspectives using constructionist grounded theory.Adult participants (n=16) were recruited through a main-centre respiratory service in New Zealand. We used semi-structured interviews, and data were analysed until theoretical saturation was reached.This paper reports the first of three main categories from the grounded theory: bargaining and balancing life with CPAP. The first category, becoming a team for good-sleep, emphasises that partners are not simply bystanders, but integral to using CPAP. Indeed, it was apparent that users and partners formed a team with the mutual goal of achieving a good sleep. Partners experienced and bore witness to consequences of untreated sleep apnoea, prompting the snorer to seek treatment. Joint problem-solving and decision-making facilitated successful therapy management. Conversely, un-collaborative partners hindered this process.Findings provide new insights that illustrate how CPAP may successfully be used at home and strategies for promoting effective sleep apnoea management. Therapy-users’ designated partners should be formally incorporated into the treatment process, including nurse-led and clinician clinic consults, to increase the probability of successful therapy management at home. Further research, including intervention studies, should explore the role of partners in successful positive airway pressure management and other long-term therapies.