March 2018 – Reports – Sleep Medicine Committee (SMC)

Published in ESRS Newsletter March 2018

ESRS Sleep Medicine Committee (SMC)

Members (2016 – 2018):

Thomas Penzel (Coordinator), Tiina Paunio (Vice-Coordinator), Johan Verbraecken (EC ANSS Representative), Erna Sif Arnardóttir (ECRN Representative), Marie-Pia d’Ortho, Colin Espie, Diego García-Borreguero, Marta Gonçalves, 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. This committee is regarded as a core activity for the ESRS in order to serve the clinical needs and in order to connect with the ANSS. Current activities are:

• Task force on the accreditation of sleep centers: A survey with all national societies through the ANSS assesses the 2018 status on accreditation and asks for expectations of a coordinated activity.

• Task force on clinical guidelines on sleep medicine (Diego Garcia-Borreguero): a priority list of guidelines to be checked and endorsed is currently compiled.

• Task group, together with the education committee, will follows with UEMS to develop a European sub-specialty on sleep medicine.

• Task force “Beyond AHI” (Erna Sif Arnardottir): after the meeting during the World Sleep Society congress review work had been divided between subgroups to assess severity of sleep apnea. A review paper is currently prepared.

The new task forces involve other European medical societies, such as the European Respiratory Society, the European Academy of Neurology, to mention just two. The current chair will step down September 2018 at the ESRS congress in Basel and a new chair is currently nominated by the committee.

Thomas Penzel