Instruments for Screening Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Drivers of Commercial Vehicles: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: Undiagnosed Obstructive sleep apnea in commercial vehicle drivers has the potential to causetraffic accidents. Polysomnography is the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, but it isexpensive, impractical, and not available in primary health services in the workplace.Objective: This systematic literature review aimed to identify and evaluate the Obstructive Sleep Apneascreening instruments that have been used on commercial vehicle drivers in the past 10 years.Method: A review was conducted to analyze the latest research related to the use of instruments for screeningObstructive Sleep Apnea in commercial vehicle drivers. Publications from December 2009 through December2019 were identified using EBSCO, Science Direct, ProQuest, SpringerLink, and SAGE Publications. Theresearch included was published in English and concerns the use of Obstructive Sleep Apnea screeningtools among commercial vehicle drivers (i.e., truck, taxi, commercial vehicle, and public transportationdrivers). The screening employed various questionnaires, the measurement of biological parameters (bodymass index [BMI], neck circumference, blood pressure, Mallampati score), and polysomnography. Eacharticle was analyzed according to these criteria, and its relevance was assessed.Result: The initial screening inclusion criteria produced 10 relevant studies. All the studies used instrumentsto screen Obstructive Sleep Apnea in commercial vehicle drivers, and they all indicate that using obstructivesleep apnea screening instruments is useful for identifying Obstructive Sleep Apnea cases in commercialvehicle drivers.Conclusion: The Obstructive Sleep Apnea screening instruments provided information through the use ofa questionnaire and the examination of biological parameters. The Berlin and STOP-Bang questionnaireshave good sensitivity and specificity, making them suitable tools for Obstructive Sleep Apnea screening incommercial vehicle drivers.