From the Clinical Knowledge Center

Drowsy Driving Week

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2008 Sleep in America poll, 28% of respondents said they are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with their daily activities at least a few days a month. Sixty-three percent said they are very likely to just accept their sleepiness and keep going, instead of making their sleep a priority. This past weekend, we rolled our clocks back to standard time. While we may all hope to feel more energetic with an extra hour of sleep, David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, said, “Many people have difficulties adjusting to the time change […] and may experience increased daytime sleepiness as they adjust to the new schedule...

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Compass Questions™

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Responses from Last Compass Questions™

In the 10.21.08 issue of Clinical Compass™, we asked three questions.

Question #1 was "Have you ever diagnosed a patient with seasonal affective disorder?" and the neuroscienceCME learning community responded:
70.7% - Yes
29.3% - No

Question #2 was "How confident do you feel in your ability to manage patients with seasonal affective disorder?" and the neuroscienceCME learning community responded:
18.7% - Very confident
36.6% - Confident
33.3% - Somewhat confident
11.4% - Not confident

Question #3 was "How interested would you be in educational activities geared toward identifying and treating seasonal affective disorder?" and the neuroscienceCME learning community responded:
55.3% - Very interested
37.4% - Somewhat interested
5.7% - Not sure
1.6% - Not interested

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Editor’s Note

Today's article about Drowsy Driving Week raises awareness of the prevalence and under-recognition of motor vehicle accidents related to daytime drowsiness. Daytime drowsiness, sometimes called excessive sleepiness, can have other consequences as well, including health risks like hypoxemia and impaired insulin resistance, as well as cognitive, affective, and psychosocial problems. Excessive sleepiness is a common complaint but is often not given adequate attention in the clinical setting. It can have several underlying causes including sleep disorders like insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, and narcolepsy. According to the 2005 Sleep in America poll, sleep disorders affect 75% of adults, yet 70% report that their physicians never asked about their sleep. The poll responses from the 10.21.08 issue of Clinical Compass™ confirm that assessment and management of sleep disorders is lacking. Our poll shows that only 33% of respondents reported asking patients with sleep complaints to complete a sleep diary; 35% said they rarely or never do. Only 37% reported being very confident or confident in selecting the right medication for their patients with sleep disorders. Clearly, there is a need for more education on the symptom of excessive sleepiness as well as the underlying sleep disorders.

Visit our website, www.neuroscienceCME.com, for more information on sleep-related issues including webcasts, current literature reviews, and the Sleep and Wake Medicine Clinical Knowledge Center.

New neuroscienceCME TV
Premieres November 19, 2008!

The Broken Continuum of Care: Addressing a Crisis in the Care of Patients with Schizophrenia

Premiere Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Live Broadcast: 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
"After the Show" live Q&A webcast: 1:02 p.m. ET

Please note that this presentation is current as of November 19, 2008. The Joint Commission reserves the right to change the content of the information as appropriate.

Activity Goal
To provide mental health care practitioners with strategies, drawn from the evidence-base as well as from JCAHO standards, for providing integrated, coordinated, and multidisciplinary care to patients with schizophrenia to facilitate improved adherence and to optimize functional outcome.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this CE activity, participants should be able to:

• Recognize and address gaps in the continuum of care of patients with schizophrenia based available evidence as well as JCAHO behavioral standards.
• Identify members of the treatment team and their respective roles in providing integrated and coordinated care.
• Develop a multidisciplinary team approach to helping improve treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia.

Credit Information
This activity offers CE credit for:

• Physicians (ACCME/AMA PRA Category 1)
• Nurses (CNE)
• Pharmacists (ACPE)
• Psychologists (APA)
• Social Workers (NASW)
• Certified Case Managers (CCMC)

All other clinicians will either receive a CME Attendance Certificate or may choose any of the types of CE credit being offered.

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