Patient satisfaction
| Descriptor | Conventional hospital pathway | Community outreach pathway | P value |
| Mean NRS scores 1–5, with 1=‘not at all satisfied’ and 5=‘very satisfied’ (SD) | |||
| The waiting time for today’s appointment after being referred by your GP | 3.38 (1.6) | 4.56 (0.8) | 0.004 |
| The waiting time to undergo the sleep study test | 3.53 (1.4) | 4.67 (0.7) | <0.0001 |
| The waiting time to be told your diagnosis/the outcome of the sleep study test | 3.33 (1.5) | 4.58 (0.6) | 0.004 |
| The waiting time to be set up with a CPAP device (if applicable) | 3.46 (1.6) | 4.77 (0.5) | 0.0035 |
| The distance you had to travel to attend clinic today | 3.81 (1.4) | 4.85 (0.4) | <0.0001 |
| The waiting time in the clinic to see a member of the team | 4.35 (0.9) | 4.90 (0.3) | 0.0001 |
| The amount of time you had with the doctor | 4.21 (1.1) | 4.88 (0.3) | 0.0002 |
| How would you rate the organisation of the clinic today? | 4.28 (1.0) | 4.83 (0.4) | 0.0009 |
| Overall satisfaction | 4.30 (1.0) | 4.90 (0.3) | <0.0001 |
CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; GP, general practitioner; NRS, numerical rating scale.