Examining Knowledge and Knowledge Retention in Nurse Practitioners after the Implementation of an Online Educational Module on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Significance and Problem Statement Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent, under-recognized, and critical health concern characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, causing intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation (Bonsignore, 2017; Chung et al., 2016; Ononye et al., 2019). It is estimated that about 15-30% of males and 15% of females between the ages of 30 to 69 have moderate to severe OSA in the United States, with 936 million individuals suffering from OSA worldwide (Kline, 2022; Wickwire, 2021). The prevalence of OSA is high and continues to rise due to the epidemic problem of obesity, which is the major predisposing risk factor of OSA (Morsy et al., 2019). When OSA is not recognized or left untreated, it can lead to several life-threatening comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, metabolic disorders (i.e., diabetes), cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and depression, which can ultimately lead to death (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2016; Ononye et al., 2019; Osman et al., 2018; Rebelo-Marques et al., 2018; Semelka et al., 2016;