Kathleen F Sarmiento1,2, Robert L Folmer3,4, Carl J Stepnowsky5,6, Mary A Whooley1,2, Eilis A Boudreau3,7, Samuel T Kuna8,9,10, Charles W Atwood11,12, Connor J Smith13, W Claibe Yarbrough14,15. 1. San Francisco VA Healthcare System, San Francisco, California. 2. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California. 3. VA Portland Healthcare System, Portland, Oregon. 4. Department of Otolaryngology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. 5. VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California. 6. Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California. 7. Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. 8. Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 9. Division of Sleep Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 10. Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 11. VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 12. Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 13. Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon. 14. Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. 15. Department of Medicine, UT Southwestern School of Medicine, Dallas, Texas.
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES: (1) Review the prevalence and comorbidity of sleep disorders among United States military personnel and veterans. (2) Describe the status of sleep care services at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. (3) Characterize the demand for sleep care among veterans and the availability of sleep care across the VHA. (4) Describe the VA TeleSleep Program that was developed to address this demand. METHODS: PubMed and Medline databases (National Center for Biotechnology Information, United States National Library of Medicine) were searched for terms related to sleep disorders and sleep care in United States military and veteran populations. Information related to the status of sleep care services at VHA facilities was provided by clinical staff members at each location. Additional data were obtained from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse. RESULTS: Among United States military personnel, medical encounters for insomnia increased 372% between 2005-2014; encounters for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increased 517% during the same period. The age-adjusted prevalence of sleep disorder diagnoses among veterans increased nearly 6-fold between 2000-2010; the prevalence of OSA more than doubled in this population from 2005-2014. CONCLUSIONS: Most VA sleep programs are understaffed for their workload and have lengthy wait times for appointments. The VA Office of Rural Health determined that the dilemma of limited VHA sleep health care availability and accessibility might be solved, at least in part, by implementing a comprehensive telehealth program in VA medical facilities. The VA TeleSleep Program is an expansion of telemedicine services to address this need, especially for veterans in rural or remote regions. CITATION: Sarmiento KF, Folmer RL, Stepnowsky CJ, Whooley MA, Boudreau EA, Kuna ST, Atwood CW, Smith CJ, Yarbrough WC. National expansion of sleep telemedicine for veterans: the telesleep program. J Clin Sleep Med. 2019;15(9):1355-1364.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: (1) Review the prevalence and comorbidity of sleep disorders among United States military personnel and veterans. (2) Describe the status of sleep care services at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. (3) Characterize the demand for sleep care among veterans and the availability of sleep care across the VHA. (4) Describe the VA TeleSleep Program that was developed to address this demand. METHODS: PubMed and Medline databases (National Center for Biotechnology Information, United States National Library of Medicine) were searched for terms related to sleep disorders and sleep care in United States military and veteran populations. Information related to the status of sleep care services at VHA facilities was provided by clinical staff members at each location. Additional data were obtained from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse. RESULTS: Among United States military personnel, medical encounters for insomnia increased 372% between 2005-2014; encounters for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increased 517% during the same period. The age-adjusted prevalence of sleep disorder diagnoses among veterans increased nearly 6-fold between 2000-2010; the prevalence of OSA more than doubled in this population from 2005-2014. CONCLUSIONS: Most VA sleep programs are understaffed for their workload and have lengthy wait times for appointments. The VA Office of Rural Health determined that the dilemma of limited VHA sleep health care availability and accessibility might be solved, at least in part, by implementing a comprehensive telehealth program in VA medical facilities. The VA TeleSleep Program is an expansion of telemedicine services to address this need, especially for veterans in rural or remote regions. CITATION: Sarmiento KF, Folmer RL, Stepnowsky CJ, Whooley MA, Boudreau EA, Kuna ST, Atwood CW, Smith CJ, Yarbrough WC. National expansion of sleep telemedicine for veterans: the telesleep program. J Clin Sleep Med. 2019;15(9):1355-1364.
Authors: Peter J Colvonen; Tonya Masino; Sean P A Drummond; Ursula S Myers; Abigail C Angkaw; Sonya B Norman Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2015-04-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Kathleen Sarmiento; John Rossettie; Carl Stepnowsky; Charles Atwood; Alan Calvitti Journal: Sleep Breath Date: 2015-04-30 Impact factor: 2.816
Authors: Wendy M Troxel; Regina A Shih; Eric R Pedersen; Lily Geyer; Michael P Fisher; Beth Ann Griffin; Ann C Haas; Jeremy Kurz; Paul S Steinberg Journal: Rand Health Q Date: 2015-11-30
Authors: Jeremy E Orr; Carolina Smales; Thomas H Alexander; Carl Stepnowsky; Giora Pillar; Atul Malhotra; Kathleen F Sarmiento Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2017-01-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Barry G Fields; Pratima Pathak Behari; Susan McCloskey; Gala True; Diane Richardson; Arwin Thomasson; Danijela Korom-Djakovic; Keith Davies; Samuel T Kuna Journal: Sleep Date: 2016-03-01 Impact factor: 5.849
Authors: Ilene M Rosen; James A Rowley; Raman K Malhotra; David A Kristo; Kelly A Carden; Douglas B Kirsch Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2020-11-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Karin G Johnson; Shannon S Sullivan; Afua Nti; Vida Rastegar; Indira Gurubhagavatula Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2021-01-01 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Lucas M Donovan; Brian N Palen; Adnan Syed; Richard Blankenhorn; Kelly Blanchard; William J Feser; Kate Magid; Justina Gamache; Laura J Spece; Laura C Feemster; Laurie Fernandes; Susan Kirsh; David H Au Journal: BMJ Qual Saf Date: 2020-12-22 Impact factor: 7.418
Authors: Frances M Weaver; Alex Hickok; Bharati Prasad; Elizabeth Tarlov; Qiuying Zhang; Amanda Taylor; Brian Bartle; Howard Gordon; Rebecca Young; Kathleen Sarmiento; Denise M Hynes Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2020-04-02 Impact factor: 6.473