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Review
. 2017 Jan 15;13(1):127-135.
doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6406.

The Past Is Prologue: The Future of Sleep Medicine

Nathaniel F Watson  1 , Ilene M Rosen  1 , Ronald D Chervin  1 ; Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Affiliations
Review

The Past Is Prologue: The Future of Sleep Medicine

Nathaniel F Watson et al. J Clin Sleep Med. .

Abstract

The field of sleep medicine has gone through tremendous growth and development over a short period of time, culminating in recognition of the field as an independent medical subspecialty by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). However, the fellowship training requirement that is now mandatory for sleep medicine board certification eligibility has had the unintended consequence of restricting the influx of young physicians to the field. In response to the potential workforce shortage confronting the field of sleep medicine, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) board of directors has developed a comprehensive plan to strengthen the field by growing sleep fellowship programs, exploring novel sleep medicine training opportunities, creating and fostering the sleep team (with special emphasis on engagement of primary care providers), embracing the role of consumer sleep technologies, and expanding the reach of sleep specialists through telemedicine. The AASM plans summarized in this special article represent efforts to confront serious workforce challenges and turn them into opportunities that will improve the health of both our patients and our field.

Keywords: development; fellowship programs; growth; sleep medicine; workforce.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) board certification.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Logo for AASM members who are board-certified in sleep medicine.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Hub and spoke model for integrating primary care providers (PCP) into established sleep centers.
With appropriate training, procedures, and oversight, the initial patient evaluation and home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) might be accomplished in the PCP office and interpreted by board-certified sleep medicine physicians in the sleep center hub. More complex patients, and those with indeterminate HSATs, would be referred to the sleep center, represented by the blue arrows. Patients would be referred back to the PCP for long-term management once their complex issues are addressed and treatment is stable, represented by the dashed arrows.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Heat map of the geographic distribution of American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) board-certified sleep medicine physicians (BCSMPs) across the United States.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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