Dental Sleep Medicine Insider November DSM Insider | Page 19

MICHAEL J. KRAHE, PHD
ONCE AND FOR ALL:
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SLEEP EDUCATION AND SLEEP PRACTICE SERVICES
I
February 16-17, 2018.
f you are reading this maga-
zine, or attending the North
American Dental Sleep Medicine
Symposium, you know that there
is a lot to learn about dental sleep
medicine.
But where to start? In this arti-
cle, I will cover three areas; sleep
education, physician expecta-
tions and selecting a sleep prac-
tice management company.
Who needs the education? What
do they need to learn? What is
the best way for them to learn?
Who
You and your team need sleep
medicine training. Your hygienist
and office team are the frontline
and need to be able to discuss,
educate, and assess the sleep
quality of your patients. They
must be trained in sleep.
What
The right mix of sleep educa-
tion content is essential. Know-
ing how to answer when a phy-
sician asks, “What do you know
about sleep?” can make or break
whether they decide to work
with you. You need grounding in
the practical techniques but also
the medical background of the
conditions and interventions.
How
What is the best learning vehicle
for your practice? It needs to be
convenient, comprehensive, rea-
sonable, and friendly to the adult
learner. Is it cumbersome, full of
unreasonable requirements and
ridiculous rules? There are four
basic educational delivery types:
• Web-based
• Webinars
• Intensive Courses
• In-office training
Another important consideration
is how you select a sleep practice
management company. What
services do you need? How do
you know they can deliver what
they say? How do I vet a vendor?
How do I protect my investment?
How do I compare one com-
pany to another? I don’t have
the space to answer all of those
questions here, but my colleague
Lee A. Surkin, MD and I will cover
all of these questions and more
during our seminar at the North
American Dental Sleep Medicine
Symposium in Clearwater, FL
These are just some of the con-
siderations you should keep in
mind as you continue your jour-
ney in dental sleep medicine.
You will probably engage with a
combination of these methods as
the needs of your practice evolve.
Embrace the spirit of continuing
education; the more you learn –
the better you will be able to help
your patients.
INTERESTED?
JOIN ME AT THE
NADSM SYMPOSIUM.
REGISTER NOW
MICHAEL J. KRAHE
Michael J. Krahe, PhD is the
founder of the Academy of Clin-
ical Sleep Disorders Disciplines
(ACSDD) and the Senior Vice
President of Operations for
DreamSleep.