Course Description
FREE “POWER UP YOUR CAREER” SEMINAR SERIES WITH COURSE REGISTRATION
This course introduces health care professionals to the specialty of sleep medicine. It prepares the learner to work with other health care professionals and directly with sleep disorder patients and their families to help patients navigate through the diagnostic process and achieve successful treatment and improved outcomes. The learner will also be prepared to educate and promote good sleep in the community. The course discusses:
- normal and abnormal sleep
- sleep disorders and associated comorbid conditions
- clinical evaluation of sleep
- testing and treatment options
- monitoring therapeutic compliance
- educating the patient/family/community
- developing a sleep program
This course is offered entirely online. Learners progress through the course at their own pace within the seven-week completion timeframe. Online learning components will include discussion boards, case presentations, quizzes, and a final quiz.
Course Outline
The program is divided into learning modules. Each module builds upon the knowledge of previous module(s). The program is self-paced with a specified end date. Learners progress through the course at their own pace within the seven-week completion timeframe.
- Module 1: Normal and Abnormal Sleep
- Module 2: Pathophysiology, Epidemiology, and Clinical Presentation of Abnormal Sleep
- Module 3: Clinical Evaluation
- Module 4: Testing and Treatment
- Module 5: Patient and Family Communication and Education
- Module 6: Developing a Multidisciplinary Program
- Module 7: Case Presentations
Module 1: Normal and Abnormal Sleep
This module covers the basics of sleep, sleep architecture, sleep quality, and sleep quantity as it pertains to age groups throughout the life cycle. We will also present contributing factors to variations of normal sleep. Upon successful completion of this module, the learner should be able to:
- Describe normal sleep architecture, quantity, and quality for the adult, geriatric, pediatric, and infant population
- Identify factors contributing to variations in normal sleep including medications and gender
Module 2: Pathophysiology, Epidemiology, and Clinical Presentation of Abnormal Sleep
This module explores common sleep disorders, prevalence, terminology used to classify the disorders, and clinical presentation of the disorders. We will also present the pathophysiology of underlying conditions associated with abnormal sleep and the effects of sleep disruption and sleep deprivation. Upon successful completion of this module, the learner should be able to:
- Identify and recognize the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical presentation of abnormal sleep
- Compare abnormal sleep with underlying pathophysiology
Module 3: Clinical Evaluation
This module explores the clinical evaluation process of documenting sleep and medical history, assessing the impact on quality of life, recognizing health changes, signs and symptoms of disease progression/improvement, and the bi-directional impact to patients with comorbid conditions. This module also covers evaluation and measurement tools commonly used to identify sleep issues. Upon successful completion of this module:
- Assess the impact of sleep on quality of life
- Recognize health changes as related to physical appearance, weight, medications, recent hospitalizations, and surgeries
- Evaluate signs and symptoms of disease progression, exacerbation, and improvement
- Interpret proper documentation of actions, observations, and orders in the patient chart
- Explain how sleep disorders effect comorbid conditions
- Explain how comorbid conditions effect sleep disorders
- Identify evaluation and measurement tools
Module 4: Testing and Treatment
Module four covers the types of testing and therapeutic options. We will also present ways to monitor treatment compliance and show examples of individualized patient care plans. Upon successful completion of the module:
- Identify the types of diagnostic testing and indications
- Describe appropriate therapeutic options for sleep-disordered breathing
- Describe cognitive behavioral therapy, light therapy, and chronotherapy
- Explain the importance of monitoring treatment adherence/compliance
- Describe how to develop individualized care plans using the chronic disease model and clinical guidelines
Module 5: Patient and Family Communication and Education
This module focuses on the role of education in sleep health and how it must be adapted to different learning styles, ages, and cultural diversity. An emphasis is placed on sleep hygiene and engaging patients in self-assessment and self-management practices. Upon completion of this module, the learner should be able to:
- Explain how to provide sleep education to the patient and family including how to respond to questions
- Recognize the importance of diversity in providing sleep education
- Evaluate readiness to learn at an age appropriate level
- Adjust sleep education interactions to learning styles
Module 6: Developing a Multidisciplinary Program
This module focuses on how to develop and expand a collaborative sleep program. Program performance improvement and quality assurance measures will be discussed as well as promoting sleep disorders as a public health issue. Upon successful completion of this module, the learner should be able to achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Explain the importance of a multidisciplinary program
- Identify opportunities for program expansion
- Examine the process of QA and PI including chart audits and tracking outcomes
- Explain the importance of promoting sleep disorders as a public health issue including the impact of sleep disorders on society, public policy influences, and providing community outreach
Module 7: Case Presentations and Wrap Up
This module consists of case presentations, the final quiz, and completing the program evaluation. Upon successful completion of this module, the learner should be able to achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Specify care approaches for case presentations
- Complete the final quiz successfully
- Evaluate the course content and design
Learner Outcomes
Please see the Course Outline section for learner outcomes of each module.
Notes
Who should participate?
This course is primarily intended for health care professionals (physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, mental health professionals, physician assistants, polysomnographic technologists, respiratory therapists, neurodiagnostic technicians, and dentists), but is beneficial to anyone interested in learning more about sleep medicine.
Prepare for the Certificate in Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH) exam
This course is designed to help the learner prepare for the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) Certificate in Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH) exam. For details about the exam, including eligibility requirements, visit http://www.brpt.org.
Offered in partnership with the Academy of Sleep and Wellness
This program is offered in partnership with the Academy of Sleep and Wellness, the education program of Delaware Sleep Disorder Centers.
Prerequisites
There are no formal academic prerequisites to participate in this program.
Technology requirements
REQUIRED: laptop or desktop computer
- Required: a PC or Mac, laptop or desktop computer must be used to complete course activities like tests, quizzes, homework, or chats
- Required: high-speed Internet access
- Required: Mozilla Firefox browser, version 10 or newer
- Required: if not already installed on your computer, you may need to install these free plugins: Flash | Adobe Reader
OPTIONAL: mobile device
Optional: most course video content can be viewed on a mobile device like a tablet, iPad or smartphone
Mobile devices cannot be used to complete required course components like homework, tests, quizzes, chats
Go to the course website for more details.
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