Can We Reduce the Diagnostic Burden of Sleep Disorders? A Single-Centre Study of Subjective and Objective Sleep-Related Diagnostic Parameters

Background and Objectives: Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in society and require focused attention within healthcare systems. While patient history, reported complaints, and subjective sleep questionnaires can provide initial insights into potential sleep issues, polysomnography (PSG) remains the gold standard for diagnosing various sleep disorders. However, long waiting times for PSG appointments in many healthcare facilities pose challenges for timely diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of subjective measures, including patient-reported parameters, in comparison to the objective findings of PSG. Materials and Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analysed the data from 562 patients who underwent clinical evaluation and PSG testing at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics between 2018 and 2024. We report the diagnostic accuracy of different sleep questionnaires to detect various sleep disorders in our population. Results: We report the corresponding sensitivity and specificity values: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)—73.2% and 44.1% for detecting severe obstructive sleep apnoea and 87.1% and 76.8% for detecting hypersomnia; the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)—77.2% and 63.3% for detecting insomnia; the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ)—67.8% and 68.8% for detecting obstructive sleep apnoea; the Ullanlina Narcolepsy Scale (UNS)—84.4% and 58.9% for detecting hypersomnia; the Innsbruck REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder Inventory (RBD-I)—93.3% and 52.5% for detecting RBD; the REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder Single-Question Screen (RBD1Q)—73.3% and 81.0% for detecting RBD; and the Paris Arousal Disorder Severity Scale (PADSS)—57.5% and 90.5% for detecting parasomnia. Conclusions: When comparing our findings with the previous literature, we found that the screening tools generally demonstrated a slightly poorer performance in our population. However, our results suggest that certain individual questions from the comprehensive questionnaires may provide comparable diagnostic values, while reducing the patient burden. We propose a targeted screening approach that integrates fundamental clinical parameters, key screening questions, and selected validated questionnaires, enabling primary care and outpatient clinicians to more efficiently identify patients who may require referral for specialised sleep evaluation and treatment.