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New Drug Offers Hope for CPAP-Free Nights for Sleep Apnea
Roughly 30 million to 40 million people in the United States, and nearly a billion people worldwide, have sleep apnea. Because they are cumbersome and often uncomfortable, many sleep apnea patients don’t use their continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
“In my patients, I’d say a quarter of them don’t get compliant on the machine and require other treatments,” said David Kuhlmann, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, MO. That’s often because they “just don’t want to wear a mask at night.”
For Dr. Kuhlmann, who’s also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, no other treatment can replace something that continually supplies air throughout the night.
But that may be changing.
New Pill Making Waves in Sleep Apnea
That’s what researchers at Apnimed hope. Apnimed is a company that’s developed a new oral drug for sleep apnea — currently called AD109. AD109 combines the drugs aroxybutynin and atomoxetine.
Aroxybutynin is used to treat symptoms of an overactive bladder, while atomoxetine is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“The drug is unique in the sense that, currently, there’s no approved drug for the treatment of sleep apnea,” said Douglas Kirsch, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. “AD109 keeps the airway from collapsing during the night. And that function is through a combination of drugs, which, in theory, both help keep the airway a little bit more open, but also helps keep people asleep.”
AD109 is currently in phase 3 trials, but results are already out for phase 2.
The conclusion of those phase 2 studies?
“AD109 showed clinically meaningful improvement in [sleep apnea], suggesting that further development of the compound is warranted.” That’s taken straight from the study’s published data.
And onto phase 3 clinical trials the drug goes. But there’s something to consider when looking at these results.
Evaluating AD109’s Results
One promising result out of the phase 2 trials was the lack of major side effects in people who took the drug.
“What you are kind of hoping for from a phase 2 trial, both from a set safety perspective and an efficacy perspective, is that it did change the level of sleep apnea when compared to placebo,” said Dr. Kirsch, who’s also a former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
For phase 2 trials, patients were separated into groups after they were tested to see how severe their sleep apnea was, using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
Dr. Kuhlmann said there are two big things they noticed: The apnea-hypopnea index dropped in patients given two different doses of the drug. Those in the group that took the lower dosage actually saw “clinically significant improvement in fatigue.”
For those with an index score of 10-15 (mild), 77% had their scores lowered to below 10.
But only 42% with a score of 15-30 (moderate) were able to get below 10. And only 7% of those with a score of over 30 were able to get all the way down to 10 or below.
Regarding some of the index score drops, Dr. Kuhlmann said, “If you drop from an AHI of 20-10, that’s still OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, daytime sleepiness, or insomnia.”
Phase 3 should include a broader range of people. “Phase 2 provides a proof of concept…phase 3 is a little bit broader…you can open the use of the drug to more people,” said Dr. Kirsch.
A Suspicious Omission
Significantly, the AD109 phase 2 trial also seemed not to include a crucial thing when sleep experts look at how well treatments work: Oxygen saturation.
“Often, when you review a sleep study with a patient, you’ll talk about both AHI and minimum oxygen saturation,” Dr. Kirsch said.
Dr. Kuhlmann was skeptical of this omission. Instead of reporting the minimum oxygen saturation, Apnimed used something called “hypoxic burden,” he said.
“They didn’t give us oxygen saturation information at all. But there’s a big difference between somebody who has a minimum oxygen saturation of 89% and went from an AHI of 20 to 12…which sounds great…but had minimum oxygen saturation stay the same after.”
In explaining the importance of hypoxic burden, Dr. Kirsch said, “If 99% of a sleep study was at 90% and above, but there was one dip at 80%, that’s not the same as spending 45 minutes below 88%. What you really want to talk about is how much or how long does that oxygen get low?”
What Therapies Must Consider for the Future
Until phase 3 data is out, it’s not possible to say for sure where AD109 can work alone for people across the spectrum of severity.
“Like any form of data, there are going to be targeted populations that may do better…with any drug, you’re unlikely to fix everything…Until we see that phase 3 data…you really can’t say for sure,” Dr. Kirsch said.
“It seems AD109 treats more of a milder spectrum than maybe the ones who would get the most benefit,” Dr. Kuhlmann said.
But he said AD109 may still work well for a number of people. It’s just important to understand that a pill can’t be compared to positive airway pressure.
Dr. Kuhlmann said he’d like to see a medication — including AD109 — that could measure up as well to oral appliances or anything that treats mild to moderate cases and “have some clinical scales associated with it that are positive.”
Besides AD109, Dr. Kirsch said, “I think we are potentially on the precipice of having some drugs that may help with sleep apnea in the coming years.”
Big Need for Progress
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates up to 80% of people with obstructive sleep apnea — the most common form — remain undiagnosed.
Cigarette smoking, high alcohol intake, drugs, or neurological disorders are common risk factors. But most importantly, it’s anything that decreases muscle tone around the upper airway — like obesity — or changes in structural features that narrow the airway.
Dr. Kuhlmann stressed the importance of weight issues linked to sleep apnea. “It’s a very common condition, especially as people are getting older and heavier…you have loss of muscle tone to your entire body, including the upper airway muscles.”
SOURCES:
- David Kuhlmann, MD, spokesperson, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Bothwell Regional Health Center, Sedalia, MO.
- Apnimed: “Parallel Arm Trial of AD109 and Placebo With Patients With OSA (LunAIRo),” “Parallel-Arm Study to Compare AD109 to Placebo With Patients With OSA (SynAIRgy Study).”
- Douglas Kirsch, MD, former president, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine: “Rising Prevalence of Sleep Apnea in US Threatens Public Health.”
- National Council on Aging: “Sleep Apnea Statistics and Facts You Should Know.”
This article originally appeared on WebMD.
Roughly 30 million to 40 million people in the United States, and nearly a billion people worldwide, have sleep apnea. Because they are cumbersome and often uncomfortable, many sleep apnea patients don’t use their continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
“In my patients, I’d say a quarter of them don’t get compliant on the machine and require other treatments,” said David Kuhlmann, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, MO. That’s often because they “just don’t want to wear a mask at night.”
For Dr. Kuhlmann, who’s also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, no other treatment can replace something that continually supplies air throughout the night.
But that may be changing.
New Pill Making Waves in Sleep Apnea
That’s what researchers at Apnimed hope. Apnimed is a company that’s developed a new oral drug for sleep apnea — currently called AD109. AD109 combines the drugs aroxybutynin and atomoxetine.
Aroxybutynin is used to treat symptoms of an overactive bladder, while atomoxetine is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“The drug is unique in the sense that, currently, there’s no approved drug for the treatment of sleep apnea,” said Douglas Kirsch, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. “AD109 keeps the airway from collapsing during the night. And that function is through a combination of drugs, which, in theory, both help keep the airway a little bit more open, but also helps keep people asleep.”
AD109 is currently in phase 3 trials, but results are already out for phase 2.
The conclusion of those phase 2 studies?
“AD109 showed clinically meaningful improvement in [sleep apnea], suggesting that further development of the compound is warranted.” That’s taken straight from the study’s published data.
And onto phase 3 clinical trials the drug goes. But there’s something to consider when looking at these results.
Evaluating AD109’s Results
One promising result out of the phase 2 trials was the lack of major side effects in people who took the drug.
“What you are kind of hoping for from a phase 2 trial, both from a set safety perspective and an efficacy perspective, is that it did change the level of sleep apnea when compared to placebo,” said Dr. Kirsch, who’s also a former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
For phase 2 trials, patients were separated into groups after they were tested to see how severe their sleep apnea was, using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
Dr. Kuhlmann said there are two big things they noticed: The apnea-hypopnea index dropped in patients given two different doses of the drug. Those in the group that took the lower dosage actually saw “clinically significant improvement in fatigue.”
For those with an index score of 10-15 (mild), 77% had their scores lowered to below 10.
But only 42% with a score of 15-30 (moderate) were able to get below 10. And only 7% of those with a score of over 30 were able to get all the way down to 10 or below.
Regarding some of the index score drops, Dr. Kuhlmann said, “If you drop from an AHI of 20-10, that’s still OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, daytime sleepiness, or insomnia.”
Phase 3 should include a broader range of people. “Phase 2 provides a proof of concept…phase 3 is a little bit broader…you can open the use of the drug to more people,” said Dr. Kirsch.
A Suspicious Omission
Significantly, the AD109 phase 2 trial also seemed not to include a crucial thing when sleep experts look at how well treatments work: Oxygen saturation.
“Often, when you review a sleep study with a patient, you’ll talk about both AHI and minimum oxygen saturation,” Dr. Kirsch said.
Dr. Kuhlmann was skeptical of this omission. Instead of reporting the minimum oxygen saturation, Apnimed used something called “hypoxic burden,” he said.
“They didn’t give us oxygen saturation information at all. But there’s a big difference between somebody who has a minimum oxygen saturation of 89% and went from an AHI of 20 to 12…which sounds great…but had minimum oxygen saturation stay the same after.”
In explaining the importance of hypoxic burden, Dr. Kirsch said, “If 99% of a sleep study was at 90% and above, but there was one dip at 80%, that’s not the same as spending 45 minutes below 88%. What you really want to talk about is how much or how long does that oxygen get low?”
What Therapies Must Consider for the Future
Until phase 3 data is out, it’s not possible to say for sure where AD109 can work alone for people across the spectrum of severity.
“Like any form of data, there are going to be targeted populations that may do better…with any drug, you’re unlikely to fix everything…Until we see that phase 3 data…you really can’t say for sure,” Dr. Kirsch said.
“It seems AD109 treats more of a milder spectrum than maybe the ones who would get the most benefit,” Dr. Kuhlmann said.
But he said AD109 may still work well for a number of people. It’s just important to understand that a pill can’t be compared to positive airway pressure.
Dr. Kuhlmann said he’d like to see a medication — including AD109 — that could measure up as well to oral appliances or anything that treats mild to moderate cases and “have some clinical scales associated with it that are positive.”
Besides AD109, Dr. Kirsch said, “I think we are potentially on the precipice of having some drugs that may help with sleep apnea in the coming years.”
Big Need for Progress
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates up to 80% of people with obstructive sleep apnea — the most common form — remain undiagnosed.
Cigarette smoking, high alcohol intake, drugs, or neurological disorders are common risk factors. But most importantly, it’s anything that decreases muscle tone around the upper airway — like obesity — or changes in structural features that narrow the airway.
Dr. Kuhlmann stressed the importance of weight issues linked to sleep apnea. “It’s a very common condition, especially as people are getting older and heavier…you have loss of muscle tone to your entire body, including the upper airway muscles.”
SOURCES:
- David Kuhlmann, MD, spokesperson, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Bothwell Regional Health Center, Sedalia, MO.
- Apnimed: “Parallel Arm Trial of AD109 and Placebo With Patients With OSA (LunAIRo),” “Parallel-Arm Study to Compare AD109 to Placebo With Patients With OSA (SynAIRgy Study).”
- Douglas Kirsch, MD, former president, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine: “Rising Prevalence of Sleep Apnea in US Threatens Public Health.”
- National Council on Aging: “Sleep Apnea Statistics and Facts You Should Know.”
This article originally appeared on WebMD.
Roughly 30 million to 40 million people in the United States, and nearly a billion people worldwide, have sleep apnea. Because they are cumbersome and often uncomfortable, many sleep apnea patients don’t use their continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
“In my patients, I’d say a quarter of them don’t get compliant on the machine and require other treatments,” said David Kuhlmann, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, MO. That’s often because they “just don’t want to wear a mask at night.”
For Dr. Kuhlmann, who’s also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, no other treatment can replace something that continually supplies air throughout the night.
But that may be changing.
New Pill Making Waves in Sleep Apnea
That’s what researchers at Apnimed hope. Apnimed is a company that’s developed a new oral drug for sleep apnea — currently called AD109. AD109 combines the drugs aroxybutynin and atomoxetine.
Aroxybutynin is used to treat symptoms of an overactive bladder, while atomoxetine is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“The drug is unique in the sense that, currently, there’s no approved drug for the treatment of sleep apnea,” said Douglas Kirsch, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. “AD109 keeps the airway from collapsing during the night. And that function is through a combination of drugs, which, in theory, both help keep the airway a little bit more open, but also helps keep people asleep.”
AD109 is currently in phase 3 trials, but results are already out for phase 2.
The conclusion of those phase 2 studies?
“AD109 showed clinically meaningful improvement in [sleep apnea], suggesting that further development of the compound is warranted.” That’s taken straight from the study’s published data.
And onto phase 3 clinical trials the drug goes. But there’s something to consider when looking at these results.
Evaluating AD109’s Results
One promising result out of the phase 2 trials was the lack of major side effects in people who took the drug.
“What you are kind of hoping for from a phase 2 trial, both from a set safety perspective and an efficacy perspective, is that it did change the level of sleep apnea when compared to placebo,” said Dr. Kirsch, who’s also a former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
For phase 2 trials, patients were separated into groups after they were tested to see how severe their sleep apnea was, using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
Dr. Kuhlmann said there are two big things they noticed: The apnea-hypopnea index dropped in patients given two different doses of the drug. Those in the group that took the lower dosage actually saw “clinically significant improvement in fatigue.”
For those with an index score of 10-15 (mild), 77% had their scores lowered to below 10.
But only 42% with a score of 15-30 (moderate) were able to get below 10. And only 7% of those with a score of over 30 were able to get all the way down to 10 or below.
Regarding some of the index score drops, Dr. Kuhlmann said, “If you drop from an AHI of 20-10, that’s still OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, daytime sleepiness, or insomnia.”
Phase 3 should include a broader range of people. “Phase 2 provides a proof of concept…phase 3 is a little bit broader…you can open the use of the drug to more people,” said Dr. Kirsch.
A Suspicious Omission
Significantly, the AD109 phase 2 trial also seemed not to include a crucial thing when sleep experts look at how well treatments work: Oxygen saturation.
“Often, when you review a sleep study with a patient, you’ll talk about both AHI and minimum oxygen saturation,” Dr. Kirsch said.
Dr. Kuhlmann was skeptical of this omission. Instead of reporting the minimum oxygen saturation, Apnimed used something called “hypoxic burden,” he said.
“They didn’t give us oxygen saturation information at all. But there’s a big difference between somebody who has a minimum oxygen saturation of 89% and went from an AHI of 20 to 12…which sounds great…but had minimum oxygen saturation stay the same after.”
In explaining the importance of hypoxic burden, Dr. Kirsch said, “If 99% of a sleep study was at 90% and above, but there was one dip at 80%, that’s not the same as spending 45 minutes below 88%. What you really want to talk about is how much or how long does that oxygen get low?”
What Therapies Must Consider for the Future
Until phase 3 data is out, it’s not possible to say for sure where AD109 can work alone for people across the spectrum of severity.
“Like any form of data, there are going to be targeted populations that may do better…with any drug, you’re unlikely to fix everything…Until we see that phase 3 data…you really can’t say for sure,” Dr. Kirsch said.
“It seems AD109 treats more of a milder spectrum than maybe the ones who would get the most benefit,” Dr. Kuhlmann said.
But he said AD109 may still work well for a number of people. It’s just important to understand that a pill can’t be compared to positive airway pressure.
Dr. Kuhlmann said he’d like to see a medication — including AD109 — that could measure up as well to oral appliances or anything that treats mild to moderate cases and “have some clinical scales associated with it that are positive.”
Besides AD109, Dr. Kirsch said, “I think we are potentially on the precipice of having some drugs that may help with sleep apnea in the coming years.”
Big Need for Progress
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates up to 80% of people with obstructive sleep apnea — the most common form — remain undiagnosed.
Cigarette smoking, high alcohol intake, drugs, or neurological disorders are common risk factors. But most importantly, it’s anything that decreases muscle tone around the upper airway — like obesity — or changes in structural features that narrow the airway.
Dr. Kuhlmann stressed the importance of weight issues linked to sleep apnea. “It’s a very common condition, especially as people are getting older and heavier…you have loss of muscle tone to your entire body, including the upper airway muscles.”
SOURCES:
- David Kuhlmann, MD, spokesperson, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Bothwell Regional Health Center, Sedalia, MO.
- Apnimed: “Parallel Arm Trial of AD109 and Placebo With Patients With OSA (LunAIRo),” “Parallel-Arm Study to Compare AD109 to Placebo With Patients With OSA (SynAIRgy Study).”
- Douglas Kirsch, MD, former president, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine: “Rising Prevalence of Sleep Apnea in US Threatens Public Health.”
- National Council on Aging: “Sleep Apnea Statistics and Facts You Should Know.”
This article originally appeared on WebMD.
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All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, copied, or otherwise reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of Frontline Medical Communications Inc.</copyrightNotice> </rightsInfo> </provider> <abstract/> <metaDescription>Could there be a new approach — a simple pill — that eases sleep apnea symptoms and replaces more conventional treatments?</metaDescription> <articlePDF/> <teaserImage/> <teaser>Pill aimed at treating sleep apnea in phase 3 trials and shows improvement in fatigue. </teaser> <title>New Drug Offers Hope for CPAP-Free Nights for Sleep Apnea</title> <deck/> <disclaimer/> <AuthorList/> <articleURL/> <doi/> <pubMedID/> <publishXMLStatus/> <publishXMLVersion>1</publishXMLVersion> <useEISSN>0</useEISSN> <urgency/> <pubPubdateYear/> <pubPubdateMonth/> <pubPubdateDay/> <pubVolume/> <pubNumber/> <wireChannels/> <primaryCMSID/> <CMSIDs/> <keywords/> <seeAlsos/> <publications_g> <publicationData> <publicationCode>chph</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>card</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>fp</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>im</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>cpn</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> </publications_g> <publications> <term canonical="true">6</term> <term>5</term> <term>15</term> <term>21</term> <term>9</term> </publications> <sections> <term canonical="true">39313</term> </sections> <topics> <term canonical="true">296</term> <term>205</term> <term>229</term> <term>202</term> </topics> <links/> </header> <itemSet> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>Main</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title>New Drug Offers Hope for CPAP-Free Nights for Sleep Apnea</title> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> <p>Roughly 30 million to 40 million people in the United States, and nearly a billion people worldwide, have <a href="https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/understanding-obstructive-sleep-apnea-syndrome">sleep apnea</a>. Because they are cumbersome and often uncomfortable, many sleep apnea patients don’t use their continuous positive airway pressure (<a href="https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/mouth-devices-for-sleep-apnea">CPAP</a>) machine.</p> <p>“In my patients, I’d say a quarter of them don’t get compliant on the machine and require other treatments,” said David Kuhlmann, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, MO. That’s often because they “just don’t want to wear a mask at night.”<br/><br/>For Dr. Kuhlmann, who’s also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, no other treatment can replace something that continually supplies air throughout the night.<br/><br/>But that may be changing.</p> <h2>New Pill Making Waves in Sleep Apnea</h2> <p> <span class="tag metaDescription">Could there be a new approach — a simple pill — that eases sleep apnea symptoms and replaces more conventional treatments?</span> </p> <p>That’s what researchers at Apnimed hope. Apnimed is a company that’s developed a new oral drug for sleep apnea — currently called AD109. AD109 combines the drugs aroxybutynin and atomoxetine.<br/><br/>Aroxybutynin is used to treat symptoms of an overactive bladder, while atomoxetine is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.<br/><br/>“The drug is unique in the sense that, currently, there’s no approved drug for the treatment of sleep apnea,” said Douglas Kirsch, MD, medical director of sleep medicine at Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. “AD109 keeps the airway from collapsing during the night. And that function is through a combination of drugs, which, in theory, both help keep the airway a little bit more open, but also helps keep people asleep.”<br/><br/>AD109 is currently in phase 3 trials, but results are already out for phase 2.<br/><br/>The conclusion of those phase 2 studies?<br/><br/>“AD109 showed clinically meaningful improvement in [sleep apnea], suggesting that further development of the compound is warranted.” That’s taken straight from the <a href="https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05811247">study’s published data.</a><br/><br/>And onto phase 3 clinical trials the drug goes. But there’s something to consider when looking at these results.</p> <h2>Evaluating AD109’s Results</h2> <p>One promising result out of the phase 2 trials was the lack of major side effects in people who took the drug.</p> <p>“What you are kind of hoping for from a phase 2 trial, both from a set safety perspective and an efficacy perspective, is that it did change the level of sleep apnea when compared to placebo,” said Dr. Kirsch, who’s also a former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.<br/><br/>For phase 2 trials, patients were separated into groups after they were tested to see how severe their sleep apnea was, using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).<br/><br/>Dr. Kuhlmann said there are two big things they noticed: The apnea-hypopnea index dropped in patients given two different doses of the drug. Those in the group that took the lower dosage actually saw “clinically significant improvement in fatigue.”<br/><br/>For those with an index score of 10-15 (mild), 77% had their scores lowered to below 10.<br/><br/>But only 42% with a score of 15-30 (moderate) were able to get below 10. And only 7% of those with a score of over 30 were able to get all the way down to 10 or below.<br/><br/>Regarding some of the index score drops, Dr. Kuhlmann said, “If you drop from an AHI of 20-10, that’s still OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, daytime sleepiness, or insomnia.”<br/><br/>Phase 3 should include a broader range of people. “Phase 2 provides a proof of concept…phase 3 is a little bit broader…you can open the use of the drug to more people,” said Dr. Kirsch.</p> <h2>A Suspicious Omission</h2> <p>Significantly, the AD109 phase 2 trial also seemed not to include a crucial thing when sleep experts look at how well treatments work: Oxygen saturation.</p> <p>“Often, when you review a sleep study with a patient, you’ll talk about both AHI and minimum oxygen saturation,” Dr. Kirsch said.<br/><br/>Dr. Kuhlmann was skeptical of this omission. Instead of reporting the minimum oxygen saturation, Apnimed used something called “hypoxic burden,” he said.<br/><br/>“They didn’t give us oxygen saturation information at all. But there’s a big difference between somebody who has a minimum oxygen saturation of 89% and went from an AHI of 20 to 12…which sounds great…but had minimum oxygen saturation stay the same after.”<br/><br/>In explaining the importance of hypoxic burden, Dr. Kirsch said, “If 99% of a sleep study was at 90% and above, but there was one dip at 80%, that’s not the same as spending 45 minutes below 88%. What you really want to talk about is how much or how long does that oxygen get low?”</p> <h2>What Therapies Must Consider for the Future</h2> <p>Until phase 3 data is out, it’s not possible to say for sure where AD109 can work alone for people across the spectrum of severity.</p> <p>“Like any form of data, there are going to be targeted populations that may do better…with any drug, you’re unlikely to fix everything…Until we see that phase 3 data…you really can’t say for sure,” Dr. Kirsch said.<br/><br/>“It seems AD109 treats more of a milder spectrum than maybe the ones who would get the most benefit,” Dr. Kuhlmann said.<br/><br/>But he said AD109 may still work well for a number of people. It’s just important to understand that a pill can’t be compared to positive airway pressure.<br/><br/>Dr. Kuhlmann said he’d like to see a medication — including AD109 — that could measure up as well to oral appliances or anything that treats mild to moderate cases and “have some clinical scales associated with it that are positive.”<br/><br/>Besides AD109, Dr. Kirsch said, “I think we are potentially on the precipice of having some drugs that may help with sleep apnea in the coming years.”</p> <h2>Big Need for Progress</h2> <p>The American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates up to 80% of people with obstructive sleep apnea — the most common form — remain undiagnosed.</p> <p>Cigarette smoking, high alcohol intake, drugs, or neurological disorders are common risk factors. But most importantly, it’s anything that decreases muscle tone around the upper airway — like obesity — or changes in structural features that narrow the airway.<br/><br/>Dr. Kuhlmann stressed the importance of weight issues linked to sleep apnea. “It’s a very common condition, especially as people are getting older and heavier…you have loss of muscle tone to your entire body, including the upper airway muscles.”<br/><br/></p> <h2>SOURCES:</h2> <ul class="body"> <li>David Kuhlmann, MD, spokesperson, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Bothwell Regional Health Center, Sedalia, MO.</li> <li>Apnimed: “Parallel Arm Trial of AD109 and Placebo With Patients With OSA (LunAIRo),” “Parallel-Arm Study to Compare AD109 to Placebo With Patients With OSA (SynAIRgy Study).”</li> <li>Douglas Kirsch, MD, former president, American Academy of Sleep Medicine; medical director of sleep medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC.</li> <li>American Academy of Sleep Medicine: “Rising Prevalence of Sleep Apnea in US Threatens Public Health.”</li> <li>National Council on Aging: “Sleep Apnea Statistics and Facts You Should Know.”</li> </ul> <p> <em>This article originally appeared on <span class="Hyperlink"><a href="https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/new-drug-offers-hope-cpap-free-nights-sleep-apnea-2024a1000a85">WebMD</a></span>.</em> </p> </itemContent> </newsItem> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>teaser</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title/> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> </itemContent> </newsItem> </itemSet></root>
Getting Reluctant Patients to ‘Yes’ on COVID Vaccination
No matter how much we’d like to leave it in the dust, COVID-19 remains prevalent and potent. Tens of thousands of people still contract COVID per week in the United States. Hundreds die. And those who don’t may still develop long COVID.
Pleas from public health officials for people to get a COVID vaccine or booster shot have been ignored by many people. About 80% of eligible Americans haven’t taken any kind of COVID booster. Meantime, the virus continues to mutate, eroding the efficacy of the vaccine’s past versions.
How to get more people to get the jab? Vaccine hesitancy, said infectious disease specialist William Schaffner, MD, is likely rooted in a lack of trust in authority, whether it’s public health officials or politicians.
Dr. Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, and former medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, recommended five strategies physicians can try when discussing the importance of staying up to date on COVID vaccines with patients.
#1: Be Patient With Your Patient
First and foremost, if doctors are feeling reluctance from their patients, they need to know “what they shouldn’t do,” Dr. Schaffner said.
When a patient initially doesn’t want the vaccine, doctors shouldn’t express surprise. “Do not scold or berate or belittle. Do not give the impression the patient is somehow wrong or has failed a test of some sort,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Step back and affirm that they understand what the patient is saying so they feel reassured, even if they don’t agree or it’s based on falsehoods about the vaccine.
He said patients need to feel “the doctor heard them; it’s okay to tell the doctor this.” When you affirm what the patient says, it puts them at ease and provides a smoother road to eventually getting them to say “yes.”
But if there’s still a roadblock, don’t bulldoze them. “You don’t want to punish the patient ... let them know you’ll continue to hear them,” Dr. Schaffner said.
#2: Always Acknowledge a Concern
Fear of side effects is great among some patients, even if the risks are low, Dr. Schaffner said. Patients may be hesitant because they’re afraid they’ll become one of the “two or three in a million” who suffer extremely rare side effects from the vaccine, Dr. Schaffner said.
In that case, doctors should acknowledge their concern is valid, he said. Never be dismissive. Ask the patients how they feel about the vaccine, listen to their responses, and let them know “I hear you. This is a new mRNA vaccine…you have concern about that,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Doctors can segue into how there’s little reason to wait for some elusive perfectly risk-free vaccine when they can help themselves right now.
“The adverse events that occur with vaccines occur within 2 months [and are typically mild]. I don’t know of a single vaccine that has genuinely long-term implications,” Dr. Schaffner said. “We should remember that old French philosopher Voltaire. He admonished us: Waiting for perfection is the great enemy of the current good.”
#3: Make a Strong Recommendation
Here’s something that may seem obvious: Don’t treat the vaccine as an afterthought. “Survey after survey tells us this ... it has everything to do with the strength of the recommendation,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Doctors typically make strong treatment recommendations such conditions as diabetes or high blood pressure, but “when it comes to vaccines, they’re often rather nonchalant,” he said.
If a patient is eligible for a vaccine, doctors should tell the patient they need to get it — not that you think they should get it. “Doctors have to make a firm recommendation: ‘You’re eligible for a vaccine ... and you need to get it ... you’ll receive it on your way out.’ It then becomes a distinct and strong recommendation,” he said.
#4: Appeal to Patients’ Hearts, Not Their Minds
In the opening of Charles Dickens’s novel “Hard Times,” the stern school superintendent, Mr. Gradgrind, scolds his students by beating their brow with the notion that, “Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else.”
The idea that facts alone can sway a vaccine-resistant patient is wrong. “It often doesn’t happen that way,” Dr. Schaffner said. “I don’t think facts do that. Psychologists tell us, yes, information is important, but it’s rarely sufficient to change behavior.”
Data and studies are foundational to medicine, but the key is to change how a patient feels about the data they’re presented with, not how they think about it. “Don’t attack their brain so much but their heart,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Dr. Schaffner has stressed with his patients that the COVID vaccine has become “the social norm,” suggesting virtually everyone he knows has received it and had no problem.
Once questions have been answered about whether the vaccine works and its various side effects, doctors could remind the patient, “You know, everyone in my office is getting the vaccine, and we’re trying to provide this protection to every patient,” he said.
You’re then delving deeper into their emotions and crossing a barrier that facts alone can’t breach.
#5: Make it Personal
Lead by example and personalize the fight against the virus. This allows doctors to act as if they’re building an alliance with their patients by framing the vaccine not as something that only affects them but can also confer benefits to a broader social circle.
Even after using these methods, patients may remain resistant, apprehensive, or even indifferent. In cases like these, Dr. Schaffner said it’s a good idea to let it go for the time being.
Let the patient know they “have access to you and can keep speaking with you about it” in the future, he said. “It takes more time, and you have to be cognizant of the nature of the conversation.”
Everybody is unique, but with trust, patience, and awareness of the patient’s feelings, doctors have a better shot at finding common ground with their patients and convincing them the vaccine is in their best interest, he said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
No matter how much we’d like to leave it in the dust, COVID-19 remains prevalent and potent. Tens of thousands of people still contract COVID per week in the United States. Hundreds die. And those who don’t may still develop long COVID.
Pleas from public health officials for people to get a COVID vaccine or booster shot have been ignored by many people. About 80% of eligible Americans haven’t taken any kind of COVID booster. Meantime, the virus continues to mutate, eroding the efficacy of the vaccine’s past versions.
How to get more people to get the jab? Vaccine hesitancy, said infectious disease specialist William Schaffner, MD, is likely rooted in a lack of trust in authority, whether it’s public health officials or politicians.
Dr. Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, and former medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, recommended five strategies physicians can try when discussing the importance of staying up to date on COVID vaccines with patients.
#1: Be Patient With Your Patient
First and foremost, if doctors are feeling reluctance from their patients, they need to know “what they shouldn’t do,” Dr. Schaffner said.
When a patient initially doesn’t want the vaccine, doctors shouldn’t express surprise. “Do not scold or berate or belittle. Do not give the impression the patient is somehow wrong or has failed a test of some sort,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Step back and affirm that they understand what the patient is saying so they feel reassured, even if they don’t agree or it’s based on falsehoods about the vaccine.
He said patients need to feel “the doctor heard them; it’s okay to tell the doctor this.” When you affirm what the patient says, it puts them at ease and provides a smoother road to eventually getting them to say “yes.”
But if there’s still a roadblock, don’t bulldoze them. “You don’t want to punish the patient ... let them know you’ll continue to hear them,” Dr. Schaffner said.
#2: Always Acknowledge a Concern
Fear of side effects is great among some patients, even if the risks are low, Dr. Schaffner said. Patients may be hesitant because they’re afraid they’ll become one of the “two or three in a million” who suffer extremely rare side effects from the vaccine, Dr. Schaffner said.
In that case, doctors should acknowledge their concern is valid, he said. Never be dismissive. Ask the patients how they feel about the vaccine, listen to their responses, and let them know “I hear you. This is a new mRNA vaccine…you have concern about that,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Doctors can segue into how there’s little reason to wait for some elusive perfectly risk-free vaccine when they can help themselves right now.
“The adverse events that occur with vaccines occur within 2 months [and are typically mild]. I don’t know of a single vaccine that has genuinely long-term implications,” Dr. Schaffner said. “We should remember that old French philosopher Voltaire. He admonished us: Waiting for perfection is the great enemy of the current good.”
#3: Make a Strong Recommendation
Here’s something that may seem obvious: Don’t treat the vaccine as an afterthought. “Survey after survey tells us this ... it has everything to do with the strength of the recommendation,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Doctors typically make strong treatment recommendations such conditions as diabetes or high blood pressure, but “when it comes to vaccines, they’re often rather nonchalant,” he said.
If a patient is eligible for a vaccine, doctors should tell the patient they need to get it — not that you think they should get it. “Doctors have to make a firm recommendation: ‘You’re eligible for a vaccine ... and you need to get it ... you’ll receive it on your way out.’ It then becomes a distinct and strong recommendation,” he said.
#4: Appeal to Patients’ Hearts, Not Their Minds
In the opening of Charles Dickens’s novel “Hard Times,” the stern school superintendent, Mr. Gradgrind, scolds his students by beating their brow with the notion that, “Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else.”
The idea that facts alone can sway a vaccine-resistant patient is wrong. “It often doesn’t happen that way,” Dr. Schaffner said. “I don’t think facts do that. Psychologists tell us, yes, information is important, but it’s rarely sufficient to change behavior.”
Data and studies are foundational to medicine, but the key is to change how a patient feels about the data they’re presented with, not how they think about it. “Don’t attack their brain so much but their heart,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Dr. Schaffner has stressed with his patients that the COVID vaccine has become “the social norm,” suggesting virtually everyone he knows has received it and had no problem.
Once questions have been answered about whether the vaccine works and its various side effects, doctors could remind the patient, “You know, everyone in my office is getting the vaccine, and we’re trying to provide this protection to every patient,” he said.
You’re then delving deeper into their emotions and crossing a barrier that facts alone can’t breach.
#5: Make it Personal
Lead by example and personalize the fight against the virus. This allows doctors to act as if they’re building an alliance with their patients by framing the vaccine not as something that only affects them but can also confer benefits to a broader social circle.
Even after using these methods, patients may remain resistant, apprehensive, or even indifferent. In cases like these, Dr. Schaffner said it’s a good idea to let it go for the time being.
Let the patient know they “have access to you and can keep speaking with you about it” in the future, he said. “It takes more time, and you have to be cognizant of the nature of the conversation.”
Everybody is unique, but with trust, patience, and awareness of the patient’s feelings, doctors have a better shot at finding common ground with their patients and convincing them the vaccine is in their best interest, he said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
No matter how much we’d like to leave it in the dust, COVID-19 remains prevalent and potent. Tens of thousands of people still contract COVID per week in the United States. Hundreds die. And those who don’t may still develop long COVID.
Pleas from public health officials for people to get a COVID vaccine or booster shot have been ignored by many people. About 80% of eligible Americans haven’t taken any kind of COVID booster. Meantime, the virus continues to mutate, eroding the efficacy of the vaccine’s past versions.
How to get more people to get the jab? Vaccine hesitancy, said infectious disease specialist William Schaffner, MD, is likely rooted in a lack of trust in authority, whether it’s public health officials or politicians.
Dr. Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, and former medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, recommended five strategies physicians can try when discussing the importance of staying up to date on COVID vaccines with patients.
#1: Be Patient With Your Patient
First and foremost, if doctors are feeling reluctance from their patients, they need to know “what they shouldn’t do,” Dr. Schaffner said.
When a patient initially doesn’t want the vaccine, doctors shouldn’t express surprise. “Do not scold or berate or belittle. Do not give the impression the patient is somehow wrong or has failed a test of some sort,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Step back and affirm that they understand what the patient is saying so they feel reassured, even if they don’t agree or it’s based on falsehoods about the vaccine.
He said patients need to feel “the doctor heard them; it’s okay to tell the doctor this.” When you affirm what the patient says, it puts them at ease and provides a smoother road to eventually getting them to say “yes.”
But if there’s still a roadblock, don’t bulldoze them. “You don’t want to punish the patient ... let them know you’ll continue to hear them,” Dr. Schaffner said.
#2: Always Acknowledge a Concern
Fear of side effects is great among some patients, even if the risks are low, Dr. Schaffner said. Patients may be hesitant because they’re afraid they’ll become one of the “two or three in a million” who suffer extremely rare side effects from the vaccine, Dr. Schaffner said.
In that case, doctors should acknowledge their concern is valid, he said. Never be dismissive. Ask the patients how they feel about the vaccine, listen to their responses, and let them know “I hear you. This is a new mRNA vaccine…you have concern about that,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Doctors can segue into how there’s little reason to wait for some elusive perfectly risk-free vaccine when they can help themselves right now.
“The adverse events that occur with vaccines occur within 2 months [and are typically mild]. I don’t know of a single vaccine that has genuinely long-term implications,” Dr. Schaffner said. “We should remember that old French philosopher Voltaire. He admonished us: Waiting for perfection is the great enemy of the current good.”
#3: Make a Strong Recommendation
Here’s something that may seem obvious: Don’t treat the vaccine as an afterthought. “Survey after survey tells us this ... it has everything to do with the strength of the recommendation,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Doctors typically make strong treatment recommendations such conditions as diabetes or high blood pressure, but “when it comes to vaccines, they’re often rather nonchalant,” he said.
If a patient is eligible for a vaccine, doctors should tell the patient they need to get it — not that you think they should get it. “Doctors have to make a firm recommendation: ‘You’re eligible for a vaccine ... and you need to get it ... you’ll receive it on your way out.’ It then becomes a distinct and strong recommendation,” he said.
#4: Appeal to Patients’ Hearts, Not Their Minds
In the opening of Charles Dickens’s novel “Hard Times,” the stern school superintendent, Mr. Gradgrind, scolds his students by beating their brow with the notion that, “Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else.”
The idea that facts alone can sway a vaccine-resistant patient is wrong. “It often doesn’t happen that way,” Dr. Schaffner said. “I don’t think facts do that. Psychologists tell us, yes, information is important, but it’s rarely sufficient to change behavior.”
Data and studies are foundational to medicine, but the key is to change how a patient feels about the data they’re presented with, not how they think about it. “Don’t attack their brain so much but their heart,” Dr. Schaffner said.
Dr. Schaffner has stressed with his patients that the COVID vaccine has become “the social norm,” suggesting virtually everyone he knows has received it and had no problem.
Once questions have been answered about whether the vaccine works and its various side effects, doctors could remind the patient, “You know, everyone in my office is getting the vaccine, and we’re trying to provide this protection to every patient,” he said.
You’re then delving deeper into their emotions and crossing a barrier that facts alone can’t breach.
#5: Make it Personal
Lead by example and personalize the fight against the virus. This allows doctors to act as if they’re building an alliance with their patients by framing the vaccine not as something that only affects them but can also confer benefits to a broader social circle.
Even after using these methods, patients may remain resistant, apprehensive, or even indifferent. In cases like these, Dr. Schaffner said it’s a good idea to let it go for the time being.
Let the patient know they “have access to you and can keep speaking with you about it” in the future, he said. “It takes more time, and you have to be cognizant of the nature of the conversation.”
Everybody is unique, but with trust, patience, and awareness of the patient’s feelings, doctors have a better shot at finding common ground with their patients and convincing them the vaccine is in their best interest, he said.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
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All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, copied, or otherwise reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of Frontline Medical Communications Inc.</copyrightNotice> </rightsInfo> </provider> <abstract/> <metaDescription>No matter how much we’d like to leave it in the dust, COVID-19 remains prevalent and potent. Tens of thousands of people still contract COVID per week in the Un</metaDescription> <articlePDF/> <teaserImage/> <teaser>Be patient, acknowledge concerns, appeal to hearts not minds, and make it personal.</teaser> <title>Getting Reluctant Patients to ‘Yes’ on COVID Vaccination</title> <deck/> <disclaimer/> <AuthorList/> <articleURL/> <doi/> <pubMedID/> <publishXMLStatus/> <publishXMLVersion>2</publishXMLVersion> <useEISSN>0</useEISSN> <urgency/> <pubPubdateYear/> <pubPubdateMonth/> <pubPubdateDay/> <pubVolume/> <pubNumber/> <wireChannels/> <primaryCMSID/> <CMSIDs/> <keywords/> <seeAlsos/> <publications_g> <publicationData> <publicationCode>icymicov</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>fp</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>im</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> <publicationData> <publicationCode>pn</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> </publications_g> <publications> <term>69586</term> <term>15</term> <term canonical="true">21</term> <term>25</term> </publications> <sections> <term>71396</term> <term canonical="true">39313</term> </sections> <topics> <term canonical="true">63993</term> <term>311</term> </topics> <links/> </header> <itemSet> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>Main</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title>Getting Reluctant Patients to ‘Yes’ on COVID Vaccination</title> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> <p>No matter how much we’d like to leave it in the dust, COVID-19 remains prevalent and potent. Tens of thousands of people still contract COVID per week in the United States. Hundreds die. And those who don’t may still develop long COVID.</p> <p>Pleas from public health officials for people to get a COVID vaccine or booster shot have been ignored by many people. About <a href="https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231005/Why-are-most-Americans-skipping-the-COVID-19-booster.aspx">80% of eligible Americans haven’t taken any kind of COVID booster</a>. Meantime, the virus continues to mutate, eroding the efficacy of the vaccine’s past versions.<br/><br/>How to get more people to get the jab? Vaccine hesitancy, said infectious disease specialist William Schaffner, MD, is likely rooted in a lack of trust in authority, whether it’s public health officials or politicians.<br/><br/>Dr. Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, and former medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, recommended five strategies physicians can try when discussing the importance of staying up to date on COVID vaccines with patients.<br/><br/></p> <h2>#1: Be Patient With Your Patient</h2> <p>First and foremost, if doctors are feeling reluctance from their patients, they need to know “what they shouldn’t do,” Dr. Schaffner said.</p> <p>When a patient initially doesn’t want the vaccine, doctors shouldn’t express surprise. “Do not scold or berate or belittle. Do not give the impression the patient is somehow wrong or has failed a test of some sort,” Dr. Schaffner said.<br/><br/>Step back and affirm that they understand what the patient is saying so they feel reassured, even if they don’t agree or it’s based on falsehoods about the vaccine.<br/><br/>He said patients need to feel “the doctor heard them; it’s okay to tell the doctor this.” When you affirm what the patient says, it puts them at ease and provides a smoother road to eventually getting them to say “yes.”<br/><br/>But if there’s still a roadblock, don’t bulldoze them. “You don’t want to punish the patient ... let them know you’ll continue to hear them,” Dr. Schaffner said.<br/><br/></p> <h2>#2: Always Acknowledge a Concern</h2> <p>Fear of side effects is great among some patients, even if the risks are low, Dr. Schaffner said. Patients may be hesitant because they’re afraid they’ll become one of the “two or three in a million” who suffer extremely rare side effects from the vaccine, Dr. Schaffner said.</p> <p>In that case, doctors should acknowledge their concern is valid, he said. Never be dismissive. Ask the patients how they feel about the vaccine, listen to their responses, and let them know “I hear you. This is a new mRNA vaccine…you have concern about that,” Dr. Schaffner said.<br/><br/>Doctors can segue into how there’s little reason to wait for some elusive perfectly risk-free vaccine when they can help themselves right now.<br/><br/>“The adverse events that occur with vaccines occur within 2 months [and are typically mild]. I don’t know of a single vaccine that has genuinely long-term implications,” Dr. Schaffner said. “We should remember that old French philosopher Voltaire. He admonished us: Waiting for perfection is the great enemy of the current good.”<br/><br/></p> <h2>#3: Make a Strong Recommendation</h2> <p>Here’s something that may seem obvious: Don’t treat the vaccine as an afterthought. “Survey after survey tells us this ... it has everything to do with the strength of the recommendation,” Dr. Schaffner said.</p> <p>Doctors typically make strong treatment recommendations such conditions as diabetes or high blood pressure, but “when it comes to vaccines, they’re often rather nonchalant,” he said.<br/><br/>If a patient is eligible for a vaccine, doctors should tell the patient they need to get it — not that you think they should get it. “Doctors have to make a firm recommendation: ‘You’re eligible for a vaccine ... and you need to get it ... you’ll receive it on your way out.’ It then becomes a distinct and strong recommendation,” he said.<br/><br/></p> <h2>#4: Appeal to Patients’ Hearts, Not Their Minds</h2> <p>In the opening of Charles Dickens’s novel “Hard Times,” the stern school superintendent, Mr. Gradgrind, scolds his students by beating their brow with the notion that, “Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else and root out everything else.”</p> <p>The idea that facts alone can sway a vaccine-resistant patient is wrong. “It often doesn’t happen that way,” Dr. Schaffner said. “I don’t think facts do that. Psychologists tell us, yes, information is important, but it’s rarely sufficient to change behavior.”<br/><br/>Data and studies are foundational to medicine, but the key is to change how a patient feels about the data they’re presented with, not how they think about it. “Don’t attack their brain so much but their heart,” Dr. Schaffner said.<br/><br/>Dr. Schaffner has stressed with his patients that the COVID vaccine has become “the social norm,” suggesting virtually everyone he knows has received it and had no problem.<br/><br/>Once questions have been answered about whether the vaccine works and its various side effects, doctors could remind the patient, “You know, everyone in my office is getting the vaccine, and we’re trying to provide this protection to every patient,” he said.<br/><br/>You’re then delving deeper into their emotions and crossing a barrier that facts alone can’t breach.<br/><br/></p> <h2>#5: Make it Personal</h2> <p>Lead by example and personalize the fight against the virus. This allows doctors to act as if they’re building an alliance with their patients by framing the vaccine not as something that only affects them but can also confer benefits to a broader social circle.</p> <p>Even after using these methods, patients may remain resistant, apprehensive, or even indifferent. In cases like these, Dr. Schaffner said it’s a good idea to let it go for the time being.<br/><br/>Let the patient know they “have access to you and can keep speaking with you about it” in the future, he said. “It takes more time, and you have to be cognizant of the nature of the conversation.”<br/><br/>Everybody is unique, but with trust, patience, and awareness of the patient’s feelings, doctors have a better shot at finding common ground with their patients and convincing them the vaccine is in their best interest, he said.<span class="end"/></p> <p> <em>A version of this article first appeared on <span class="Hyperlink"><a href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/getting-reluctant-patients-yes-covid-vaccination-2024a1000560">Medscape.com</a></span>.</em> </p> </itemContent> </newsItem> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>teaser</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title/> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> </itemContent> </newsItem> </itemSet></root>