Australian respiratory technology company Rhinomed has entered into a partnership with SleepGP, a growing network of GP practices, to raise awareness of sleep disordered breathing issues within the family medicine setting.

Highlights of the partnership include:

  • Major education and awareness program targeting Australian GPs and their patients
  • Partnership with SleepGP—a growing network of GP clinics focused on resolving sleep and breathing issues
  • Targeting 4 million Australians who snore and the potentially 80% of obstructive sleep apnea patients who remain undiagnosed

Michael Johnson, CEO of Rhinomed says in a release, “GPs play a vital role in educating Australians about the role sleep plays in maintaining good health. They are the front line of health delivery in Australia and ensuring they are well positioned to provide their patients with the latest information and technology is critical.

“Sleep disordered breathing is a hugely under-diagnosed and untreated condition. Every day hundreds of patients ask their GPs about their own, or their partners’ snoring. With over 80% of obstructive sleep apnea patients remaining undiagnosed, this is a significant health issue.”

Low diagnosis rates are partly due to a lack of awareness and partly driven by the fear many patients have of the existing therapies. Through this vital relationship, Rhinomed seeks to engage patients in a conversation about sleep, snoring, and health and drive awareness of its breathing technologies.

Dr John Malouf, SleepGP’s founding clinician, says: “SleepGP is empowering GPs to provide appropriate solutions to sleep-related disorders from simple snoring to obstructive sleep apnea. We are pleased to be partnering with Rhinomed to drive awareness of this issue. Relieving airway resistance at the nasal valve is one of the important components of the SleepGP algorithm and Rhinomed’s Mute performs this task admirably.”

GPs are in a position to identify the large numbers of patients with undetected OSA who feel that resolution of their problem is either too complex or too expensive. SleepGP utilizes a sophisticated algorithm that enables GPs to access diagnostic tools to determine whether a patient has a sleep disorder. It provides a way for GPs to effectively guide patients towards more appropriate treatment choices.

Rhinomed says medical and consumer acceptance of its Mute over-the-counter device positions the comapny well as it commercializes its Intranasal Positive Expiratory Airway Pressure (INPEAP) device for the treatment of mild-moderate sleep apnea.

Both Rhinomed and SleepGP will work together to raise awareness that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sleep disorders and to help empower doctors and patients to access the right help.