Objective: To examine the frequency of use of home apnea monitors, reasons for not using them, and factors associated with their use among families of infants for whom home monitoring had been prescribed.
Design: Cross-sectional study, including a telephone interview to collect demographic data and a mailed questionnaire to obtain data on monitor use.
Setting: The apnea clinics in two tertiary-care centers.
Participants: Ninety-three families (representing an 80.9% response rate) with infants considered at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome and requiring home monitors. Infants with tracheostomies or bronchopulmonary dysplasia and families with monitored twins, a mother known to be drug addicted, or no home telephone were excluded.
Results: Of concern were that 23.1% of mothers reported using the monitor 12 or fewer hours per day and that 10.8% believed their infants did not need a monitor. Of 11 variables examined, only color change in the infant was associated with frequency of monitor use.
Conclusions: Clear, consistent communication with families regarding the use of apnea monitors is essential to improve compliance with proper monitoring techniques.