Global and local actions in the sleep domain: the ESRS perspective

Abstract

As an active and long-standing member of the World Sleep Federation (WSF), the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS) is pleased to support the open letter written by the current and immediate past WSF presidents, published today in the Journal of Sleep Research, the official journal of the ESRS. In this letter, the WSF presidents encourage us to act both locally and globally in the sleep domain, learn from each other and share existing resources. In particular, they call for increased sleep education and training opportunities throughout the world, including certification programmes for sleep specialists and technicians, especially for those individuals living in developing countries. We agree wholeheartedly with such goals, and believe that existing education and training initiatives that have been developed by the ESRS at the European level can contribute significantly to this, while at the same time avoiding any overlap between the ESRS and WSF initiatives. Indeed, the ESRS is currently involved actively in the development of sleep medicine throughout Europe and is developing certification and training opportunities, especially in European countries where sleep is not yet an acknowledged speciality. In this respect, we recently organized the first European Examination in Sleep Medicine at the ESRS conference (Paris, September 2012). The examination was taken successfully by 50 selected international sleep experts, who received the certification: ‘ESRS Somnologist–Expert in Sleep Medicine’. This grandparenting initiative will be repeated at the forthcoming ERS–ESRS Sleep and Breathing Conference (Berlin, April 2013). This will lead to the constitution of an international body of certified sleep experts able to take the lead in future national and international activities to promote sleep medicine professionals. The certification process will also lead to the organization of the first open examination to all sleep professionals at the 2014 ESRS Congress in Tallinn, Estonia. In association with certification, coordinated and unified educational training initiatives also have to be taken, including publication of guidelines [as already published in the Journal of Sleep Research (Fischer et al., 2012; Pevernagie et al., 2006, 2009)] and textbooks in sleep medicine. In this respect, the ESRS believes that the future of sleep research and sleep medicine in Europe necessitates the creation and development of academic multi-disciplinary sleep centres across Europe (Bassetti et al., 2012). This will promote the integration of clinical and basic sleep science, and constitute a basis for the education and training of sleep experts, as advocated in the ESRS 40th anniversary book (Bassetti et al., 2012). We also believe that definition and publication of common guidelines between the WSF and ESRS would be an extremely useful accomplishment that is achievable through fruitful collaboration. These are only a few of the many ways in which we can develop sleep medicine and sleep research throughout Europe and the world, and we commend the WSF's initiative to establish special interest groups in key areas such as sleep genetics, insomnia and sleep and breathing. Similarly, the ESRS promotes sleep networks aimed at gathering both clinical and basic sleep researchers around key topics such as insomnia, sleep apnoea, narcolepsy and restless legs syndrome. We also believe that the existing sleep networks must communicate globally at all levels, and not be limited to specific regions. We would be happy to see the special interest groups and networks initiated by WFS and ESRS share common interests and experience, while bearing in mind that appropriate actions are needed both locally and globally, ranging from national to European and world levels. In conclusion, the ESRS warmly welcomes the initiative of the Presidents of the WSF. The ESRS will be happy to contribute to all the initiatives facilitating sleep training and research to make sleep a stronger and more unified field. This will greatly benefit the development of sleep science, as well as the care of those many patients suffering from recognized, but also too often unrecognized, sleep disorders.