July 2017 – Reports – Sleep Medicine Committee (SMC)

Published in ESRS Newsletter July 2017

ESRS Sleep Medicine Committee (SMC)

Members (2016 – 2018):

Thomas Penzel (Coordinator), Tiina Paunio (Vice-Coordinator), Erna Sif Arnardóttir (EC ECRN and ANSS Representative), Marie-Pia d’Ortho, Colin Espie, Diego García-Borreguero, Lino Nobili, Dirk Pevernagie, Thomas Pollmächer, Javier Puertas, Andrea Rodenbeck

The SMC focusses on the development and recognition of Sleep Medicine as a medical subspecialty in Europe. With this focus the committee is among the most important ones for the ESRS. A face-to-face meeting took place in Berlin from 30 June to 1 July 2017 with members of SMC, and Walter McNicholas. The SMC reviewed past activities, being publications on accreditation of sleep medicine centers, on certification of sleep professionals, on procedures, education. The SMC initiated the examination of somnologists, now taken care of the examination sub-committee. The group agreed that new task groups had to be created. One task group will follow up on accreditation of sleep centers. This includes the discussion on clinical sleep centers, general or monothematic as well as being a teaching center. Old recommendation papers will be updated accordingly. A survey will be sent to the national societies through the ANSS assessing the status on accreditation and asking for expectations. Another task group will review and endorse clinical guidelines on sleep medicine. Another task group, together with the education committee, will follow up with UEMS to develop a European sub-specialty on sleep medicine. The new task force by Erna Sif Arnardottir “Beyond AHI” was considered as very important for the SMC, since one aim is not just to endorse national or American guidelines, but to develop urgent tasks, such as the metrics for assessing sleep apnea severity further, using the power of European sleep medicine. The new task forces will involve contacts to the other European medical societies involved, such as the European Respiratory Society and the European Academy of Neurology, to mention just two.

Thomas Penzel