Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public

Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11617.html
196 SLEEP DISORDERS AND SLEEP DEPRIVATION
which a substantial portion of the sleep medicine training is embedded
within the primary specialty training.
The guidelines for accreditation of fellowship training required that
programs provide graduates with clinical, technical, and research experience
that promotes sound clinical judgment and a high level of knowledge
about the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sleep disorders. The guidelines
emphasized education in specific content areas, including basic neurological
sleep mechanisms; chronobiological mechanisms; cardiovascular,
pulmonary, endocrine, and gastrointestinal sleep physiology; specific disorders
of sleep; and the psychopharmacology of sleep, as well as the operation
of polysomnographic equipment, polysomnographic interpretation,
and troubleshooting.
Eligibility requirements for an accredited program include at least one
year of training preceded by the completion of an accredited residency program,
and sponsorship by an institution that meets fellowship training
requirements set forth by the ACGME. The director of the program must
be a physician who is a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine
(ABSM), and the program has to be associated with a sleep disorders center
accredited by the AASM.
Completion of training in an accredited program satisfies requirements
for eligibility to sit for the sleep medicine certification examination administered
by the ABSM.
ACGME Sleep Medicine Fellowship Training Programs
In 2002, the AASM submitted an application to ACGME for accreditation
of fellowship training programs in sleep medicine. ACGME approved
the program requirements for sleep medicine fellowship training programs
in June 2004. Accreditation of fellowship training programs by the ACGME
now provides a framework for the continued expansion of specialized clinical
training in sleep medicine and draws greater attention to the necessity of
training programs.
The ACGME fellowship requires 1 year of clinical sleep medicine.
Trainees can enter the sleep medicine fellowship if they have been trained in
one of the following: general internal medicine (3 years of postgraduate
training); neurology (4 years of postgraduate training); psychiatry (4 years
of postgraduate training); general pediatrics (3 years of postgraduate training);
otolaryngology (5 years of postgraduate training).
In June 2004, ACGME convened a Sleep Medicine Working Group to
develop requirements for fellowship training in sleep medicine and formalize
the accreditation process. The working group created a comprehensive
program guideline that included requirements to ensure competence in core
areas, including facility and resources for training, faculty, assignment of
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