In an update published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine pointed out that during the pandemic, telemedicine has been an effective tool for diagnosing and managing sleep disorders.
Since the last update in 2015, the use of telemedicine has grown exponentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More and more published studies have found that telemedicine is effective for the diagnosis and management of sleep apnea and cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of insomnia.
The update authors emphasize the importance of maintaining patient privacy in order to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), state and federal guidelines. If an emergency is witnessed during care, the clinician should ensure that emergency services are activated (for example, e-911).
To ensure the implementation of telemedicine while maintaining patient safety, a quality assurance model is needed that includes emergency plans for patients with limited technical skills and patients with language or communication difficulties. Telemedicine visits should reflect in-person visits, which means that both patients and clinicians can concentrate on the patient’s healthcare needs.
The author of this update stated that telemedicine has the potential to reduce the gap in healthcare services for individuals living in remote areas or belonging to lower socioeconomic groups. However, telemedicine relies on high-speed Internet access, and some people in these groups may not be able to access it.
Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients using telemedicine services to diagnose or manage sleep disorders. Using telemedicine to diagnose and manage narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, parasomnia, insomnia, and circadian sleep-wake disorders requires a validated workflow and template. Medical and consumer wearable devices generate a large amount of sleep data, which needs to be verified before it can be used for sleep medical care.
Over time and more research, the best practices, successes, and challenges of using telemedicine to manage sleep conditions will allow for more flexible policies to support the expansion and use of telemedicine.
Disclosure: Multiple authors have announced ties to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and/or device industries. For a complete list of author disclosures, please refer to the original reference.
Shamim-Uzzaman QA, Bae CJ, Ehsan Z, etc. Using telemedicine to diagnose and treat sleep disorders: an update from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2021;17(5):1103-1107. doi:10.5664/jcsm.9194
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Post time: Jun-17-2021