AASM Membership Sections Newsletter
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Issue # 4
American Academy
of Sleep Medicine
12
counseling.
Insomnia is the most common of the sleep
disorders. A recent CDC survey shows that 4% of
responders admit that they are on sleeping pills, with
women more than men. If comprehensively trained,
NPs and PA administer thorough sleep history, rule
out co-morbidities and diagnose insomnia. Cog-
nitive-behavior therapy for insomnia can be labor
intensive and time consuming. In addition, there
is a shortage of certified professionals to deliver the
therapy. With close oversight from a well-trained
insomnia specialist, nurse practitioners and physi-
cians assistants may provide important contribution
to the education of patients as well as to the compre-
hensive treatments encompassed by CBT-I.
Nurse Practitoners and PAs already provide an
array of assessment and treatment skills in health
care. There is relatively low medical risk in the
treatment of insomnia, need to extend visit time,
and a great need for providers. This makes insomnia
an ideal subspecialty to be embraced by these two
professions.
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Further reading:
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