Common Sleep Disorders

Course overview

Healthcare providers must be aware of the health consequences of inadequate sleep and untreated sleep disorders in people they engage with in the clinical setting. Therefore, being competent in the assessment of sleep impairment and sleep disorders, as well as understanding the indications for evaluation of sleep problems, are critically important skills. The most frequently diagnosed sleep disorders in adults are insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and sleep movement disorders. Awareness of these common disorders is the first step in being able to clinically recognize such sleep disorders in patients. The goal of this course is to provide nursing and respiratory therapy professionals with knowledge of the importance of sleep assessment in the clinical setting and to provide clinical assessment strategies and common assessment/diagnostic tools for impaired sleep and sleep disorders.