Home and In-hospital Sleep Studies
Sleep studies can be performed both through our centres and through a number of private hospitals. Direct referrals for sleep studies can be made for Medicare eligible patients. We provide a high quality service with a focus to ensure that the right diagnosis is made and the right treatments prescribed.
HOME BASED SLEEP STUDY
A home sleep test is where you take a sleep study device home and sleep in your own bed.
You will visit a sleep clinic in the late afternoon/ evening where a sleep technician will help you set up the device.
Home sleep tests should only be used to assess for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and may not be the best test if there is a concern regarding other sleep conditions.
Medicare will allow direct referral (from general practitioners or non-sleep specialists) for home based sleep studies provided that the patient meets criteria based on screening questionnaires. If a patient does not meet that criteria they can either proceed with the test without Medicare reimbursement or see a sleep specialist first.
Our policy is for all patients undergoing a Home Based Sleep Study to be seen following the study by a sleep specialist. This is to make sure that the right treatment is prescribed.
The recording from Home Sleep Studies needs to be looked at carefully by a sleep scientist and then a sleep specialist. In most cases treatment decisions cannot be based on the results of the sleep study alone as while OSA is commonly diagnosed it may not necessarily be the cause of the symptom or carry risk to the patient and therefore prescribing expensive treatments without a clinical assessment by a sleep specialist may not be in the patient’s interests.
LABORATORY BASED SLEEP STUDY
A laboratory test is conducted out of a sleep clinic laboratory (usually in a public or private hospital).
You will be required to sleep in a lab overnight and will be attended to by a sleep technician.
Being tested in a laboratory means you will get more information about your sleep. Laboratory tests at a sleep clinic are usually more suited to patients with complex sleep issues, low risk for OSA or who are physically impaired. In some cases patients with OSA may require a laboratory based sleep study to assist in implementing Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) to treat OSA.
Extra sleep tests can be performed in a sleep laboratory including Multiple Sleep Latency Tests (MSLTs) to evaluate for conditions such as Narcolepsy or Maintenance of Wakefulness Tests (MWTs) to evaluate for ability to maintain vigilance (often requested to determine fitness to drive).