阻塞型睡眠呼吸中止症（Obstructive Sleep Apnea, OSA）的病人飽受生理與心理的折磨，經常衍生許多社會和公共安全議題。針對該疾病，國外常見以連續氣道正壓呼吸器（Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Ventilator, CPAP）為治療首選，但國內目前對此議題之研究仍顯匱乏。本研究主要目的為探討病人在接受連續氣道正壓呼吸器（CPAP）後，其睡眠和生活品質之改善成效。以類實驗性研究法，採雙組前、後測，運用匹茲堡睡眠指標量表（Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI）和臺灣版生活品質（WHOQOL-28）問卷為研究工具，針對南部某一家醫學中心之睡眠門診的初診病人68人，採隨機分實驗組31人、對照組37人。於4週後比較2組在有無使用連續氣道正壓呼吸器（CPAP）前後其睡眠和生活品質之差異。採SPSS 12.0版統計軟體進行資料分析。研究顯示，使用連續氣道正壓呼吸器（CPAP）的病人比未使用的病人，其睡眠品質（p<.001）和生活品質（p<.01）皆有顯著改善。

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) suffer physiologically and psychologically, generating many social issues as well as issues in public safety. In foreign countries, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the best option to deal with OSA. However, in Taiwan, research into the effects of CPAP on patients with OSA remains scanty. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of CPAP on quality of sleep and life of patients with OSA. A quasi-experimental design, with pretests and posttests on two groups, was employed. The inventories included the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the 28-item Taiwan version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-28). 68 first-visit patients of the sleep clinic in a medical center in southern Taiwan were randomly assigned, with 31 patients in the experimental group and the rest 37 patients in the control group. Four weeks later, cross-group differences of the effects of CPAP on quality of sleep and life were compared. SPSS 12.0 for Windows was used to perform all the statistical procedures. The results revealed that CPAP significantly improved patients’ quality of sleep (p<0.001) and quality of life (p<0.01).