Holistic & Patient-Centered Sleep Care: Earn Continuing Education

Learning Objectives: Describe the principles of a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to sleep care and how it differs from symptom-focused models. Identify non-respiratory contributors to sleep disorders, including nutritional deficiencies, family dynamics, and psychosocial stressors. Explain the role of extended patient interactions and care coordination in improving diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives: Explain the rationale for using home sleep testing (HST) beyond diagnosis, including its role in monitoring treatment efficacy over time. Describe how HST-derived metrics—such as sleep quality trends and physiologic responses—can reveal heterogeneous patient responses to CPAP therapy. Discuss the value of additional signals captured by some HST systems, such as heart rate, in assessing cardiovascular risk and treatment effectiveness.

Learning Objectives: Explain the historical role of dopaminergic therapies in restless legs syndrome (RLS) and their initial effectiveness in symptom control. Describe the phenomenon of RLS augmentation and how long-term dopamine agonist use can worsen symptoms or shift their timing and severity. Identify emerging hypotheses about dopamine signaling in RLS, including the potential role of D1 receptor pathways as alternative pharmacologic targets.

Learning Objectives: Explain the concept of treatment burden in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and how it differs from traditional disease-centric metrics such as AHI. Describe how incorporating patient-reported goals and standardized questionnaires into follow-up can improve engagement and long-term therapy use. Apply strategies to reinforce therapy “wins” during patient interactions, including comparing baseline and follow-up symptom data.

Learning Objectives: Describe the major topic areas that drove engagement among sleep professionals in 2025, including the continued dominance of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the shift toward diagnostics-focused content. Explain why interest in sleep diagnostics—particularly home sleep testing (HST)—is increasing, including the role of anticipated reimbursement and policy changes. Identify emerging areas of clinical and operational focus reflected in these trends and relate them to evolving priorities in sleep labs and clinical workflows.