ResMed's My Air App

[RobertS975]

I am well aware of how simplistic the My Air App is when compared to SH or its successor Oscar. But it's a quick picture of the previous night without removing an SD card, locking the card, downloading etc.

My major objection to the app is the penalty applied for "mask removal" or whatever they call it. Why should getting up at night to urinate, attend to an infant crying, or closing windows because it is raining cause the app to score the night lower in quality? In addition, if the machine run is less than 7 hours, there are score deductions for that as well.

While I realize that sleep duration may have importance, I argue that 6 hours of low leak sleep with an AHI under 1 or 2 is close to perfection.

[Pugsy]

Why is it important to have "scores" anyway? In reality what does the score actually do other than give someone a pat on the back.
I can pat myself on the back quite nicely thank you.

I guess some people need numerical validation for some reason and ResMed treats us like children and reward the good children with good scores and badges and special emails. I am not a child and I don't need ResMed treating me like one. I think you all know me well enough by now to know that I actually really, really resent it.
Obviously I have no need for MyAir at all.
If I want a quick look at what happened last night the on screen data is more than enough for me.
But I rarely even need that....I pretty much already know how things went last night without anything or anyone telling me.

My body does a really good job of telling me how I slept last night.
Or didn't sleep as in what happened Friday night.. Bad night Friday night...the old insomnia monster came for a visit and decided to stay. I felt like total crap yesterday....my body told me that was because I simply didn't get enough sleep.
The old body will tell us most of what we need to know if we will just listen to it.

[alexander]

I guess the intent behind the app is to motivate people getting started with the treatment. It can also be useful for getting a quick overview of the treatment.

If you have reasons for getting up – or if you only need six hours of sleep, then I wouldn’t worry about those metrics.

[Pugsy]

Yes...the intent is to help people either get motivated or stay motivated.
Somebody somewhere decided that treating people like children and rewarding "good behavior" and dinging them for "bad behavior" is the way to go to keep them motivated. They just didn't factor in a crotchety old bitch who absolutely hates being treated like a child or dufus..
Or factor in that sometimes crap happens that is beyond our control that cause people to wake up and/or turn off the machine.

[LSAT]

You will get more complete information on your machine's Sleep Report by pressing one button in the morning...have you tried it? MyAir is just a report card for people that like to pat themselves on the back. Scores mean nothing.

Note: In Settings menu, be sure ESSENTIALS is set to PLUS.

[alexander]

Pugsy, while I do get your perspective, I think there is a use for something like myAir. Maybe the badges and emails should be optional – I don’t have any strong feelings for or against them. But do you think there is a need for something simpler than OSCAR? I mean – most people are not that technical, and I guess they would be overwhelmed by event flags, pressure waveforms and the like. Of course they can come over here and post their screenshots, but even that is too technical for many people.

[Pugsy]

Pugsy, while I do get your perspective, I think there is a use for something like myAir. Maybe the badges and emails should be optional – I don’t have any strong feelings for or against them. But do you think there is a need for something simpler than OSCAR? I mean – most people are not that technical, and I guess they would be overwhelmed by event flags, pressure waveforms and the like. Of course they can come over here and post their screenshots, but even that is too technical for many people.

There is already something simpler....the information on the machines' LCD screen.
Doesn't get much simpler or easier than that. Turn the machine off and look at the screen at the same time and there you have it.
Pretty darn simple.
If the AHI is decent....leak rate is decent...hours slept is what it is...and the body says "I feel decent'....then there is simply no need for further investigation in my book.

Now if we can't answer "decent" to any of the above and we don't know why....that's when we need to dig deeper.
Yesterday morning I didn't bother even looking at the machine or my software because I already knew I didn't sleep decent and I already knew the insomnia wasn't from cpap or equipment or apnea related. I don't need an app to tell me I couldn't go back to sleep after 3 hours...My mind was going 90 mph. I did go back to bed finally and got about another 1 hour or so then hubby got up to get ready to go to a meeting and took me a little bit to fall back to sleep ...then the damn phone went off to tell me someone had sent me a text message at 7:04 AM about 10 minutes after he left...crap....had just got back to sleep after hubby had woke me up to go to work related meeting. Just a bad night all around. Crap happens.

Tell me what anything software or web based or even on the machine's screen is going to tell me that I didn't already know??

[alexander]

There is already something simpler....the information on the machines' LCD screen.
Doesn't get much simpler or easier than that. Turn the machine off and look at the screen at the same time and there you have it.
Pretty darn simple.
If the AHI is decent....leak rate is decent...hours slept is what it is...and the body says "I feel decent'....then there is simply no need for further investigation in my book.

Now if we can't answer "decent" to any of the above and we don't know why....that's when we need to dig deeper.
Yesterday morning I didn't bother even looking at the machine or my software because I already knew I didn't sleep decent and I already knew the insomnia wasn't from cpap or equipment or apnea related. I don't need an app to tell me I couldn't go back to sleep after 3 hours...My mind was going 90 mph. I did go back to bed finally and got about another 1 hour or so then hubby got up to get ready to go to a meeting and took me a little bit to fall back to sleep ...then the damn phone went off to tell me someone had sent me a text message at 7:04 AM about 10 minutes after he left...crap....had just got back to sleep after hubby had woke me up to go to work related meeting. Just a bad night all around. Crap happens.

Tell me what anything software or web based or even on the machine's screen is going to tell me that I didn't already know??

In a way I totally get you. At this moment it doesn’t provide much more than what is on the display (it does however have some videos for beginners), but as time goes on it might be able to come up with more or less intelligent insights when issues arise. As a simple example – if there is a problem with the mask fit, and the mask is F30 then it might be able to link directly to a video for that particular mask.

I do think a service like this has potential in the future to easily solve common (and less common?) problems for a large number of people. For more complex cases there is always tools available such as OSCAR.

[Pugsy]

but as time goes on it might be able to come up with more or less intelligent insights when issues arise. As a simple example – if there is a problem with the mask fit, and the mask is F30 then it might be able to link directly to a video for that particular mask.

I do think a service like this has potential in the future to easily solve common (and less common?) problems for a large number of people.

You are assuming that ResMed will change what they do or offer on their website??
You are new and naive....go ahead and wish and hope. Who knows...they might actually think about a real patient for a change.
The 10 year plus cynic cpap user who has seen all the "new and improved" stuff that these manufacturers come up with over the years to "help" us won't be holding her breath. You still think that these manufacturers are thinking of use the end user and the customers they want to please and it simply isn't the case.
Everything they do is so the DME/doctor can get compliance issues out of the way so that they get paid and they made this stuff so that DMEs have to do less work to prove compliance. It was never ever about us.

[alexander]

You are assuming that ResMed will change what they do or offer on their website??
You are new and naive....go ahead and wish and hope. Who knows...they might actually think about a real patient for a change.
The 10 year plus cynic cpap user who has seen all the "new and improved" stuff that these manufacturers come up with over the years to "help" us won't be holding her breath. You still think that these manufacturers are thinking of use the end user and the customers they want to please and it simply isn't the case.
Everything they do is so the DME/doctor can get compliance issues out of the way so that they get paid and they made this stuff so that DMEs have to do less work to prove compliance. It was never ever about us.

I don’t get why there shouldn’t be a correlation between doing what’s good for the patient and making money. Yes, I might be new and naïve, but I will say that I would much rather prefer to use the latest products. When it comes to aesthetics things are (in my opinion) moving in the right direction. My living room is also my bedroom, and I feel better about having an AirSense 10 on display rather than an S9 for instance. To me it looks more like any other gadget and less like a medical device. When it comes to masks I would much rather use AirTouch over any previous model.

To me things like aesthetics, comfort, smart features, and a sense of that the equipment follows the technological and design trends makes me feel better about having sleep apnea. I care about products, and I feel that they are improving. We seem to have very different views about how things are developing, and I’d love to better understand where you are coming from/your perspective.

[Pugsy]

To me things like aesthetics, comfort, smart features, and a sense of that the equipment follows the technological and design trends makes me feel better about having sleep apnea. I care about products, and I feel that they are improving. We seem to have very different views about how things are developing, and I’d love to better understand where you are coming from/your perspective.

Everyone is different in terms of wants, needs, preferences or life in general.
I am 67 years old. Looks long ago moved down on my priority in life list. I could care less about gadgets or apps. Hell, I have a smart TV and no clue as to how to make it smart. My husband still prefers a flip phone...does what he needs quite well.
I can't see my cpap machine when my eyes are closed anyway and they are usually closed when I am asleep.

Now I do understand aesthetics and want things to look good. I am female after all but for me my health is number one on the priority least and if I don't feel so good it doesn't matter how good something looks. I try really hard to put my body first. Years ago things might have been different on my priority in life list. I don't know your age but I suspect that there is probably a substantial difference and we probably simply have a much wider difference in or life's priority list because of age and gender (I am assuming you are a guy).
It is what it is.

As far as the cpap manufacturers actually thinking about us...read how things are worded on the web sites about what features do what...they are all geared towards DMEs wants and how to help them supposedly help the patients.
Compliance terminology is used often and that is solely so that DMEs can establish proof of use easily so they can get paid quickly with least amount of hassle.
They don't really care about me and I am okay with that because I realized a long time ago that no one cares as much about me as I care about me. I can take care of myself.

[alexander]

Pugsy, I won’t quote you in order to keep the reply shorter. Thanks for sharing your perspective – and I really can’t argue about health being the most important priority. I’m a guy in my mid-thirties. I don’t have a lot of things in my apartment, but I like the things that I have to look good. It just makes me feel good – as simple as that.

[Pugsy]

I like the things that I have to look good. It just makes me feel good – as simple as that.

I suspected as much and you know what....I am fine with that. I don't expect everyone to feel like I do about anything.

I really don't care what machine anyone uses or if they use software or the machine's LCD screen or the MyAir or what mask or what humidity or anything that falls within personal preference choice.

I just want people to be happy and use this stuff as effectively as possible and sleep the best they can. How they accomplish it doesn't really matter to me.

I will share this though....some years ago I did install the software for the Respironics version of their online website software...DreamMapper. It was always trying to call home even when I didn't want it to and then when it pissed me off trying to call home when it didn't need to...I tried to remove the software from my computer and the damn thing simply didn't want to leave.
I had an awful time removing it and it shouldn't have been that difficult. Made my cynic skeptical mind think "spyware".

I actually hope that I am wrong about these manufacturers and they do go towards actually caring more about the patient and less about the DME but they need to prove it to me. I have a lot of years of being promised the sun, moon and stars and not getting anything near what was promised. I live in Missouri....they need to Show Me.
I worked all my life in the medical field...I know first hand that none of them walk on water and there's never anything perfect in medicine. I accept it and move on and target my time and energy into things that I have some control over. The stuff I have zero control over I simply shrug my shoulders and move on and don't give it a second thought since I can't do anything about it anyway.

[alexander]

I like the things that I have to look good. It just makes me feel good – as simple as that.

I suspected as much and you know what....I am fine with that. I don't expect everyone to feel like I do about anything.

Glad to hear that. I feel that many on this board have a somewhat utilitarian kind of view on the equipment, if that’s the way to put it. To me it’s not enough that a device does what it’s supposed to do – it also needs to be well designed in other aspects. I respect that others see things differently than me, and I won’t try to convince anyone to change their values. I think it’s good that we’re different.

[NoOnesPerfect]

If the patient was the priority, the data from the machine would not require reverse engineering and help from sympathetic insiders in order to be usable by anyone other than the DME or doctor. Resmed would not have created a proprietary power coupling that requires either use of their expensive adapter to use an outside battery or some significant DIY tinkering. More parts would be interchangeable between masks and machines, even between products from different manufacturers.

We have had multiple threads here with wish lists from patients, but no one holds out any hope that their wants will ever be addressed. The manufacturers simply have no incentive to do anything other than improve compliance for the short term. Over the long term, they do seem to be improving their algorithms and general form factor though.