Patient-reported Longitudinal Assessment Tool for OSA (PLATO)
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has developed and validated a patient-reported outcome tool for use in a clinical setting to monitor treatment response and longitudinal symptom progression in adults who have obstructive sleep apnea.
Results show that the PLATO questionnaire demonstrates strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and it exhibits robust construct validity through moderate-to-strong correlations with established measures. Scores from the PLATO questionnaire also discriminate between sleep apnea severity levels and body mass index groups, and they are responsive to symptom improvement.
What is the PLATO questionnaire?
PLATO comprises 11 questions that assess patients’ sleep-related experiences in the past seven days and nights. The questions address topics such as feeling tired or sleepy, experiencing morning headaches or snoring, and overall sleep quality. Patients can complete PLATO during clinic visits before therapy is implemented and at various times after treatment begins to monitor a patient’s response to any form of sleep apnea therapy.
PLATO was written at a 5th-grade reading level and is available in English and Spanish. It is accessible in both paper and electronic formats, allowing for easy scoring through a manual or electronic process. The electronic format is compatible with electronic health record platforms.
The 11-item questionnaire can be completed in less than four minutes and is easy to score, making it simple to implement, even in busy clinical settings.
How can I access this resource?
PLATO can be licensed for free for use in clinical practice.
For details on licensing and fees for funded academic or commercial users, please contact Mapi Research Trust.
For a copy of the manuscript, “The Patient-reported Longitudinal Assessment Tool for OSA (PLATO): development and validation of a new clinical tool to assess response to obstructive sleep apnea treatment in adults,” or the commentary, “Sleep apnea, how do we help thee? Let us count the ways,” or to schedule an interview with Dr. Kirsch or another sleep expert, please send an email to media@aasm.org.
The members of the medical expert advisory panel were Dr. Douglas Kirsch, Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, Dr. Charles Davies, Dr. Charlene Gamaldo, and Dr. Carol Rosen. ICON staff who led the development of PLATO were Patricia Koochaki, Christiane Otto, and Kelly Lipman. The project was coordinated by Sherene Thomas of the AASM.