STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Stroke
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1690372
This article is part of the Research TopicQuality of Stroke Care: What Could Be Improved, and How? - Volume IIView all 18 articles
Barriers to and Facilitators of Implementing Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Screening in Stroke Patients: A Scoping Review Protocol
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
- 2The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
- 3Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Affiliated Third Hospital, Hangzhou, China
- 4Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
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Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent but frequently undiagnosed sleep disorder among stroke patients. It is associated with increased risks of stroke recurrence, reduced rehabilitation effectiveness, and elevated mortality. Despite guideline recommendations for routine OSA screening in stroke care, implementation remains inconsistent in clinical practice. As a modifiable sleep-related risk factor with significant implications for neurological outcomes, better integration of OSA screening in post-stroke care is urgently needed. Thus, this scoping review protocol outlines a systematic approach to identifying barriers to and facilitators of OSA screening in stroke populations. Methods and analysis: This scoping review will follow the methodological framework provided by the Joanna Briggs Institute(JBI) and will be reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The search will be performed on CNKI, WanFang, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertations, OpenGrey, and Google Scholar. Targeted searches of international organization websites will also be conducted. No restrictions will be imposed based on study design or year of publication. Data will be synthesized using the content analysis approach and mapped onto the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU), including domains such as evidence-based innovation, potential adopters, practice environment, implementation process, and adoption outcomes. Discussion: The findings are expected to inform future research and support the integration of sleep disorder screening into stroke care pathways. Ultimately, the review will improve stroke outcomes by addressing sleep health as a critical but often overlooked component of post-stroke management. Scoping review registration: Open Science Framework (osf.io/tb7z8).
Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, Stroke, sleep disorders screening, Barriers and facilitators, scoping review protocol
Received: 21 Aug 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lin, Zhao, Xiao, Ding, Fang, Guo and Lou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shuhui Lou, loushh@zcmu.edu.cn
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