| BRIEF REPORT |
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| Year : 2014 | Volume
: 9
| Issue : 1 | Page : 45-47 |
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Sleep medicine services in Saudi Arabia: The 2013 national survey
Ahmed S Bahammam1, Mashni Alsaeed2, Mohammed AlAhmari3, Ibrahim AlBalawi3, Munir M Sharif1
1 University Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and National Plan for Science and Technology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2 Sleep Disorders Center, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3 Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence Address:
Ahmed S Bahammam
Department of Medicine, University Sleep Disorders Center, College of Medicine, and National Plan for Science and Technology, King Saud University, Box 225503, Riyadh 11324
Saudi Arabia
 Source of Support: This project was funded by The National Plan for Sciences and Technology (King Saud University and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology), Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1817-1737.124444
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Background : We conducted this national survey to quantitatively assess sleep medicine services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and to identify obstacles that specialists and hospitals face, precluding the establishment of this service.
Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect the following: General information regarding each hospital, information regarding sleep medicine facilities (SFs), the number of beds, the number of sleep studies performed and obstacles to the establishment of SFs. The questionnaire and a cover letter explaining the study objectives were mailed and distributed by respiratory care practitioners to 32 governmental hospitals and 18 private hospitals and medical centers in the KSA.
Results: The survey identified 18 SFs in the KSA. The estimated per capita number of beds/year/100,000 people was 0.11 and the per capita polysomnography (PSG) rate was 18.0 PSG/year/100,000 people. The most important obstacles to the progress of sleep medicine in the KSA were a lack of trained sleep technologists and a lack of sleep medicine specialists.
Conclusion: The sleep medicine services provided in the KSA have improved since the 2005 survey; however, these services are still below the level of service provided in developed countries. Organized efforts are needed to overcome the identified obstacles and challenges to the progress of sleep medicine in the KSA. |
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